At 62, Congressman Jair Bolsonaro is experiencing the pinnacle of his political life. For decades, the former Army Captain was little more than a radical right-winger who expressed nostalgia for the military dictatorship. But now, he is a presidential hopeful — and so far, is coming across as a pretty competitive candidate.

In the latest presidential polls, Bolsonaro has 9 percent of votes, behind only Lula da Silva, Marina Silva, and Aécio Neves, all of whom have already run for president. They fare better in these early polls mainly because they enjoy far more name recognition.

Pundits in Brazil frequently argue that Bolsonaro could never snatch the 2018 Presidential race. He is too radical, they say, and too controversial to please the general electorate. Of course, there is some merit to these statements. After all, this is the same man who referred to a group of leftist congressmen as “a bunch of faggots.” And also the same man who infamously declared that a fellow congresswoman “wasn’t worth raping.”

But despite these enormously incendiary statements, we shouldn’t ignore Bolsonaro’s potential, nor the danger that might come with it. Let’s remember that just a two years ago, nearly every expert in the U.S. thought that a character like Donald Trump would never make it into the White House. We all know the outcome of that.

Here’s why Jair Bolsonaro could very well be Brazil’s next president:

1. A “change” of tone

Bolsonaro has become famous thanks to racist, homophobic, and sexist remarks. During last year’s House...