In brief
Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, accepted the Liberal Party nomination on 25 July 2026 in São Paulo, more than a year after his father Jair was imprisoned for a coup attempt.
Argentine President Javier Milei attended, calling on the audience to 'stop the socialist garbage' and framing the election as a pivotal fight against left-wing forces.
A Datafolha poll published on 24 July gives Lula 48% voting intention against Bolsonaro's 43% in a runoff, after the challenger lost an earlier tie.
An audio message revealed he asked jailed banker Daniel Vorcaro for money, and his stepmother Michelle accused him of humiliation before a staged reconciliation on 23 July.
Flávio pledged to pardon his father and brother if elected, and said Jair would accompany him up the presidential ramp in January 2027.
- ReconciliationMichelle Bolsonaro forgives Flávio in staged reconciliation (23 July)
- 24 JulDatafolha poll shows Lula 48%, Flávio 43%
- 25 JulFlávio Bolsonaro formally nominated at Liberal Party convention
The convention
Flávio Bolsonaro, 45, officially became the Liberal Party's nominee at the Pacaembú stadium in São Paulo on Saturday. Over a thousand supporters, many wearing Brazil national team jerseys, chanted "Lula thief" as he took the stage. Party president Valdemar Costa Neto presented him as the political heir of his imprisoned father, Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year house arrest for a 2022 coup attempt.
“Flávio was chosen by his father to continue the project that already worked. You are the candidate in the name of the country and millions of Brazilians, may God illuminate your path.”
Flávio described himself as "more tranquil and moderate" but asserted he carries "Bolsonaro blood." He promised to rescue Brazil from what he called a government that could turn into a dictatorship if Lula wins a fourth term. An AI-generated video from Jair Bolsonaro was played due to campaign restrictions, and Flávio said his father would "climb the ramp of Planalto Palace" with him in January 2027 if he wins.
Milei's intervention
Argentine President Javier Milei flew to São Paulo to lend his support. He framed the October election as a showdown with socialism, urging the crowd to back the candidate and warning Brazil of disaster if it does not change course.
“Brazil has not yet lived the most disastrous consequences of this model, but it could if it cannot turn the helm. We trust you, Flávio, to stop the socialist garbage!”
The appearance reinforced the alliance of far-right leaders in South America, with Milei seeking to bolster a like-minded figure in the region's largest democracy.
Scandal and family turmoil
Flávio's campaign has been buffeted by crises. In May, Intercept Brasil published an audio message showing he had asked banker Daniel Vorcaro, later arrested for massive financial fraud, for money to fund a film about his jailed father. On Thursday, 23 July, a Supreme Court judge ordered an investigation into the film's financing. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing and any "intimacy" with Vorcaro.
Tensions also erupted with his stepmother Michelle Bolsonaro. In June she complained publicly of humiliation, claiming Flávio told her she "understands nothing about politics." The former first lady, crucial for attracting female and evangelical voters, forgave him Thursday in a choreographed reconciliation after new apologies. The same day, the court ordered the probe into the film funds.
Poll slide
A Datafolha survey released on Friday, 24 July, shows Lula leading Flávio by 48% to 43% in a second-round scenario. Bolsonaro had tied Lula in March after eating into a 15-point deficit, but his numbers have since declined. Marco Teixeira, a political scientist at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, traced the slump to rising rejection and the accumulating scandals.
“It is a moment of weakening for Flávio,... there is uncertainty about the viability of his candidacy because the rejection of his figure has increased.”
- Lula da Silva
- 48 %
- Flávio Bolsonaro
- 43 %
Data from the article text
Electoral path
Flávio is running to free his father and brother Eduardo, who is self-exiled in the United States and was also convicted this year. He faces Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 80, who seeks a fourth non-consecutive term and tops the polls. The senator must unite a fragmented conservative base and overcome high rejection rates in the months remaining before the October vote. Flávio told supporters that Brazil is "in a pilotless plane" and only his candidacy can bring change.