Carlos Bolsonaro’s Senate Bid Upends Right-Wing Pact in Santa Catarina

Overview

• Caught in a growing rift, the PL is crafting a containment plan that offers allies high-profile roles, including the vice spot on Governor Jorginho Mello’s 2026 ticket.
• An earlier arrangement pairing Caroline de Toni and Esperidião Amin for the state’s two Senate seats unraveled, and De Toni is weighing a switch to Novo after receiving invites from other parties.
• Ana Campagnolo publicly rejected the imposition of an outside candidacy and, along with figures like Silas Malafaia, drew heavy fire from allied networks after voicing dissent.
• Analysts say the absence of Jair Bolsonaro as an arbiter has left the conservative camp fragmented, turning coordinated strategy into personal contests for space and influence.
• The turmoil threatens the coalition underpinning Mello’s reelection calculus in a state where Bolsonaro won about 70% in 2022, raising the stakes for the PL’s vice-slot offer, seen as a path to succession in 2030.