Ciro Gomes becomes Brazil’s first official presidential candidate

Ciro Gomes officially launched his fourth presidential bid on Wednesday afternoon, at the national convention of the Democratic Labor Party (PDT). His campaign, however, has struggled to find allies — and the vice presidential slot on his ticket remains vacant.

The 64-year-old center-left politician, who built his political career in the northeastern state of Ceará, has a long track record on the national stage. Besides serving as mayor, state lawmaker, and governor, Mr. Gomes also had a stint as a congressman and served two administrations as Finance and National Integration minister.

The presidency, however, has always evaded him. In his three previous shots at the office, he was unable to muster enough support to qualify for the runoff stage. His 2018 score was his best to date, receiving almost 12.5 percent of the votes. In Ceará, his political constituency, he earned over 40 percent of votes.

In recent months, Mr. Gomes has tried to thread...