In November, when former Justice Minister Sergio Moro filed his pre-candidacy for Brazil’s 2022 presidential election, he did so with the hope of rattling the status quo and offering an alternative to voters displeased with the two frontrunners. Pundits and much of the mainstream media got on board, championing the former federal judge as Brazil’s most credible “third-way” option, suggesting he could dislodge far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and face polling leader and former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in a runoff vote.
However, two months later, the fever has broken and Sergio Moro’s polling numbers are already stagnant,...