Flávio Bolsonaro, senator and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, launched his first televised and radio advertisements for the 2026 presidential contest on Friday, using the spots to introduce himself to voters, emphasize his family and sidestep a direct confrontation with incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The three 30‑second spots, which aired on both television and radio, follow Brazil’s electoral law that grants candidates free airtime during campaign periods. In two of the ads, Bolsonaro explicitly mentions his wife Fernanda and their daughters Luiza and Carol, framing his household as matriarch‑led. “Everyone knows my father, right? But, hey, my daughters, my wife, my mother also made me who I am. So, folks, at home they’re the ones in charge,” he says, adding that this dynamic is “good.” He then ties the message to his campaign slogan, “Brazil will win,” asserting that the country will only improve if women grow stronger and victorious.
The outreach to female voters is tactical. Bolsonaro’s campaign acknowledges his weaker standing among women and seeks to soften his image by highlighting a supportive family environment, distinct from the patriarchal associations often linked to his father’s legacy.
In a third spot focused on personal introduction, Bolsonaro addresses viewers regardless of political affiliation, declaring that “everyone agrees Brazil is not in a good state the way it is” and promising to show how to change that narrative. He then offers a succinct biography: “My name is Flávio Bolsonaro. I am 45 years old. I am a lawyer and businessman. Married to Fernanda, father of Luiza and Carol. And a candidate for the Presidency of the Republic.”
The ad that references his father most directly stops short of naming Jair Bolsonaro. Instead, Flávio says, “You know my father, but do you know whose son I also am? I am a son of Brazil. We are all brothers.” Within the same piece he raises two themes his campaign plans to emphasize: public safety and family indebtedness. He describes “free factions on the streets,” contrasts it with “people trapped inside their homes,” and notes widespread debt, asking voters if they, too, are dissatisfied with a Brazil marked by violence, street‑level factions and financial strain.
While the criticism implicitly targets the current administration, Bolsonaro avoids naming Lula or his government in any of the three debut ads. Notably absent are the allegations the Lula camp plans to amplify, such as investigations involving Lula’s son, often referred to as “Lulinha.”
The opposing campaign answered swiftly. Lula’s team aired an ad devoted entirely to Flávio’s résumé, labeling him “the worst of the Bolsonaros.” It cites his early career as a alleged “ghost employee” in a Brasília office, accusations of money laundering and organized crime in the “rachadinha” scandal, praise he gave to a Rio de Janeiro militia leader, and a Federal Police report of him requesting R$134 million in the Banco Master affair.
Thus the opening salvos of the 2026 race show Flávio Bolsonaro attempting to define himself through familial appeal and a law‑and‑order, cost‑of‑living narrative, while the Workers’ Party seeks to undermine his credibility by foregrounding past controversies.