Brazil candidate Augusto Cury directs 96.4% of campaign spending to social media promotion

Augusto Cury has put nearly all of his declared campaign spending into social media as the psychiatrist and writer becomes the first third-way presidential candidate in Brazil to reach double digits in polling.

Cury reported to Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court that he spent R$50,000 promoting posts and another R$1,800 on security accommodation. The figures remain preliminary. Candidates must submit their partial campaign accounts between Sept. 9 and 13.

Data from Meta’s ad library showed almost R$26,000 spent to boost 52 posts on Instagram and Facebook during the week of Aug. 22-28. The most expensive post cost between R$10,000 and R$15,000, while the cheapest cost less than R$100. Meta reports spending in ranges rather than exact amounts.

Five of the promoted posts received more than 1 million views. They included a reaction to the Band/Estadão debate and an invitation to a TV Globo question-and-answer event. Those appearances coincided with Cury’s rise from 2% to 11% in the BTG/Nexus poll released on Aug. 31, putting him in third place.

Cury denied using automated accounts. “There is no story about bots. In fact, there are millions of people who believe in pacification and are tired of this insane polarization,” he said at a Sebrae event in Curitiba. The poll put Lula at 39% and Flávio Bolsonaro at 33%, leaving Cury far behind the two leading candidates. His campaign did not respond to questions about the spending.

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There is no story about bots. In fact, there are millions of people who believe in pacification and are tired of this insane polarization.