With a difference of just over 6 million votes between them in the election’s first round — and polls suggesting the gap may be narrowing — the campaigns of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Jair Bolsonaro have both undergone noticeable shifts in tone ahead of the October 30 presidential runoff.
The Brazilian Report analyzed the speeches and electoral ads put out by both candidates since the first-round vote, finding similarities and significant differences. Unsurprisingly, both campaigns focus heavily on the terms “Brazil” and “people,” common in speeches seeking to appeal to feelings of collectivity and unity.
However, what has drawn most attention is how speeches have changed since the campaign’s first phase. Frontrunner and former President Lula became more combative and defensive, while also personally taking more of a back seat and giving more space to allies. This appears to be a strategy to win over voters who are not his biggest fans, but who could be convinced to topple the incumbent Mr. Bolsonaro.
What is Lula talking about?
And what is Bolsonaro talking about?
The president, meanwhile, has become more restrained in official campaign ads. Instead of his traditional tactics of bashing Lula and the left, he has sought to talk up his government’s social programs and recent...
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