Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, was officially confirmed on Saturday as the presidential candidate of the Liberal Party to challenge incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
However, his campaign begins under significant pressure, with growing political and personal hurdles threatening his bid.
Despite securing the party’s nomination, the 45-year-old senator has yet to choose a vice-presidential running mate and has struggled to attract the backing of centrist political groups that were instrumental to his father’s electoral success. The convention also reflected his difficulties in building a broad coalition, with only a handful of influential political figures in attendance.
One of the most noticeable absences at the gathering of about 500 supporters at Arena Mercado Livre Pacaembu in São Paulo was Michelle Bolsonaro, the senator’s stepmother and a highly influential figure among Brazil’s evangelical community. Her absence came after the pair recently traded public criticisms.
Even so, Flávio Bolsonaro managed to secure the presence of Argentine President Javier Milei at the convention and is expecting endorsements from several members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration. Nevertheless, political observers suggest the significance of those who stayed away from the event may outweigh the impact of those who attended.
The senator has also been unable to convince a prominent female politician to join his ticket after unsuccessful efforts to recruit former Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina.
Cristina’s Popular Party, a key congressional force that played an important role during Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency, is not expected to nominate its own presidential candidate. However, its decision to distance itself from Flávio Bolsonaro has surprised many political analysts.
“That’s not necessarily bad for us,” lawmaker Zé Trovao told journalists before the convention began. “We can have a more ideological campaign and when time comes it will be them coming to us, having to agree to our agenda if they want to get rid of Lula and the Workers Party.”
Political consultant Thomas Traumann said the senator has faced a steady stream of setbacks throughout his campaign.
“Flávio Bolsonaro has faced a problem each week, sometimes two problems,” said political consultant Thomas Traumann, based in Rio de Janeiro. “This convention might be the moment in which he says what he thinks, what he intends to do as president. So far, he has been on the defensive, saying the campaign only starts in August.”
Meanwhile, Lula’s Workers’ Party is scheduled to officially endorse the 80-year-old president’s reelection campaign during its convention on Aug. 2 in São Paulo, one of the decisive battlegrounds ahead of October’s election.
Several of the senator’s campaign difficulties have stemmed from controversies of his own making. Support for his candidacy weakened in May after he acknowledged requesting millions of dollars from jailed banker Daniel Vorcaro to finance a film about his father’s life, a disclosure that reportedly unsettled many of his political allies.
Days later, Flávio Bolsonaro visited the White House and the U.S. State Department in hopes of securing stronger backing from President Trump. Instead, he has faced criticism from voters, business leaders and politicians, many of whom blame him for the U.S. decision to impose tariffs of up to 37.5% on Brazilian exports beginning Friday.
During the World Cup, another controversy emerged when Michelle Bolsonaro released a video accusing the senator of being disrespectful during a telephone conversation. The incident dealt another setback to his campaign, particularly among evangelical voters who regard her as a key political figure.
Last week, Flávio Bolsonaro also came under fire after repeating discredited claims about the integrity of Brazil’s electronic voting system, echoing allegations that contributed to the country’s highest court declaring his father ineligible to hold office.
Former President Jair Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup and is under house arrest, where he remains with his wife.
Ahead of Saturday’s convention, signs of reconciliation emerged within the Bolsonaro family. In a live broadcast, the senator publicly apologized to Michelle Bolsonaro and claimed he was being “disproportionally persecuted” by others, just as his father had been.
Michelle Bolsonaro accepted the apology in a video released on Friday, suggesting the beginning of a reconciliation as the presidential campaign gathers momentum.
“Let’s sit down, let’s talk, let’s adjust details and together we will get a big army of people who do good to rescue our Brazil,” she said in a video published on Friday.
Traumann believes Flávio Bolsonaro now faces a much greater challenge in attracting moderate voters than when he first entered the race in December.
“He was showing himself as the moderate Bolsonaro, the one who took COVID vaccines, who is kind to his two daughters,” Traumann said.
“He has lost voters who are against the Workers’ Party, but are also more moderate. Now he has the radical core of his campaign, and his attempt now is to stop that group from leaving him too.”
