Renan Santos, the presidential nominee of the Missão party, opened his campaign on August 16 with a rally in Largo São Francisco, located in the center of São Paulo. The event took place in front of the University of São Paulo’s Law School, where Santos studied but did not complete his degree.
Speaking for approximately one hour, Santos directed his criticism toward President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers’ Party (PT) and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party (PL), whom polls identify as the leading contenders for the presidency.
Addressing a crowd largely composed of young people, he pledged to prioritize the fight against organized crime and to promote national development so that Brazil could become a leading player on the world stage.
He illustrated his security pledge with a vivid image: “Imagine the first flight on the presidential airplane, in which we will go to the first cities taken over by organized crime, and with the police forces, already on January 6 we will devastate the first enemies, we will dye the ground red with the blood of these scoundrels,” Santos said, according to Folha de S.Paulo.
The candidate concluded the act by mimicking American singer‑songwriter Bob Dylan, performing his campaign jingle while wearing dark sunglasses and playing acoustic guitar and harmonica with the aid of a mouth stand.
Other Missão figures also spoke, including federal deputy Kim Kataguiri, who is seeking re‑election, vice‑presidential running mate Aroldo Medina, São Paulo city councilwoman Amanda Vettorazzo, and former state deputy Arthur do Val.
The rally followed a protest by USP students on August 13, when members of the União da Juventude Socialista (UJS), União Estadual dos Estudantes (UEE), and representatives of oil‑workers and journalists’ unions gathered to oppose the use of the Law School’s front steps for the campaign launch.