/i.s3.glbimg.com/v1/AUTH_da025474c0c44edd99332dddb09cabe8/internal_photos/bs/2026/b/N/CsLvFiQWOBYdtdpDpajg/115945808-brazils-right-wing-presidential-candidate-and-senator-flavio-bolsonaro-gestures-during-a.jpg)
Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro and a senator for the Liberal Party (PL), is facing difficulty consolidating support from Brazil’s broader right‑wing electorate ahead of a possible second‑round presidential runoff against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).
According to a Datafolha survey published by O Globo on 22 August 2026, only 60% of voters who back Minas Gerais governor Romeu Zema (Novo) would choose Bolsonaro in a head‑to‑head contest with Lula. The figure drops to 54% among supporters of Goiás governor Ronaldo Caiado (PSD) and to 48% among those favoring pastor Renan Santos (Missão). The remaining respondents in each group said they would either vote for Lula, cast a blank or null ballot, or remain undecided.
The poll, conducted between 18 and 19 August among 2,058 voters aged 16 and older, carries a margin of error of two percentage points. Its registration number with Brazil’s electoral court is BR-04496/2026.
Analysts note that Bolsonaro’s path to narrowing Lula’s current four‑point lead depends on attracting these non‑bolsonarist right‑wing voters. Despite trailing in the surveys, the PL senator has avoided attacking his rivals and repeatedly framed the election as a binary choice between defeating the Workers' Party (PT) and preserving democratic institutions.
Political commentators warn that without a clear unity message, Bolsonaro risks losing centrist and moderate right‑leaning voters to Lula or to abstention, potentially handing the incumbent an easier route to reelection.
In Brazil’s political landscape, the PL is the party of the former president Jair Bolsonaro and draws on a nationalist, socially conservative base. The PSD, led by Caiado, positions itself as a centre‑right, pro‑business party. Novo, represented by Zema, advocates for liberal economic reforms and limited government. Missão, the party of Renan Santos, is an evangelical formation focused on family values and moral issues.