Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is expanding his team for the 2nd round, bringing in reelected governors and politicians who won Senate seats. CNN Brasil reports that his campaign is also revising its public attacks on rival Flávio Bolsonaro.
After trailing in the first round, Lula held a series of meetings on his 2nd-round strategy beginning Monday, October 5. CNN Brasil, citing people close to the president, reported that he consulted both a small campaign decision-making group at the Alvorada Palace and a wider circle of allies at a hotel in Brasília.
The campaign plans to bring in reelected governors from northeastern states: Jerônimo Rodrigues of Bahia and Rafael Fonteles of Piauí. They are expected to have a place on the team and, according to CNN’s sources, may recommend members of their own staffs. Rui Costa and Jaques Wagner, who won Senate seats in Bahia, are also expected to join. Camilo Santana, who focused during the first round on Ceará Governor Elmano de Freitas’s reelection bid, will turn his attention back to the presidential race.
According to CNN, Lula’s team intends to make voter concern about a possible Flávio Bolsonaro victory part of its campaign message. The Workers’ Party (PT) believes Bolsonaro has aligned himself with the United States in a way that could invite outside interference. That is the campaign’s political assessment, not an established fact. Sources said the team plans to repeat the argument in upcoming appearances.
The PT also plans to intensify criticism of Bolsonaro over alleged links to organised crime and to use the term “militiaman.” The campaign intends to highlight his political connection to Adriano da Nóbrega, a former military police captain whom prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro identified as a member of a militia. These allegations should not be treated as findings established by a court.
An ally who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity said Lula’s campaign had not done a good job in the first round of explaining “what Flávio represents.” The Associated Press reports that the 2nd-round runoff is scheduled for October 25.