06/23/2024 – 15:08
Pre-candidate for mayor of São Paulo, coach Pablo Marçal (PRTB) called on his supporters for what he classified as a “war against digital militias”. With 16.1 million followers on social media, the influencer seeks to position himself as the main representative of the right in the elections, which has generated clashes with current mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB) and his allies.
In the early afternoon of this Sunday, the 23rd, Marçal gathered a group of people in front of the São Paulo Museum of Art (Masp), on Avenida Paulista, in a pre-campaign event for City Hall. “There are already a bunch of digital militia attacking me. I need all of you who are watching me to join this war with me,” he said at the event, which was broadcast live on Instagram. More than 10 thousand people watched the broadcast.
The PRTB pre-candidate’s speech was still marked by references to God and conservatism. He also took the opportunity to attack some of his opponents in the dispute for command of the capital, such as Nunes and deputy Guilherme Boulos (PSOL). “The current mayor is a weak man. Ricardo Nunes, with all due respect, you have reached your limit. This is his last term”, he shouted.
The most recent electoral polls show the coach in third position. The latest AtlasIntel survey, released on Wednesday, 19, showed Boulos as the leader in the race for Mayor with 35.7% of voting intentions. The current mayor is in second place with 23.4%, followed by Marçal with 12.6%.
As shown by the Estadão, Pablo Marçal’s performance in polls and on social media after the launch of his pre-candidacy generated concern among Bolsonarists and Nunes’ allies. They fear that Marçal will divide the right-wing camp in São Paulo, potentially strengthening Boulos’ campaign.
The main concern is that the left-wing deputy, supported by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will advance to the second round ahead of Nunes, which, in the opinion of the mayor’s allies, could strengthen the PSOL campaign and threaten re-election. However, there is currently no scenario in which Marçal can remove Nunes from the second round.
Another concern refers to the 2026 elections. Bolsonarists in the State fear that Marçal could disrupt the group’s plans for the Senate election. They assess that he seeks to use the municipal election to consolidate himself as a candidate for one of the two vacancies up for grabs in the next majority elections. Marçal, however, has stated to his allies that his focus is the municipal Executive and that he does not wish to be a senator.
This month, deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL) was launched as a pre-candidate for the Senate by Valdemar Costa Neto at an event in Campos do Jordão (SP). The other Bolsonaro candidate would be the current state secretary of Public Security, Guilherme Derrite (PL), supported by governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans).
In this context, Marçal became the target of the Bolsonarists. An example of this is the volume of criticism he received after meeting with the former governor of São Paulo João Doria (no party). Furthermore, former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) disallowed PL parliamentarians from supporting the influencer’s candidacy.
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