Cleitinho Leads Minas Gerais Governor Race at 29%, Poll Shows

Cleitinho Azevedo (Republicanos) is leading the race for governor of Minas Gerais, with 29% of voter intentions in the first round, according to a new Quaest poll released Tuesday. This maintains the lead he held in late July and was also indicated by a Datafolha poll last Friday.

Trailing Azevedo are federal deputy Patrus Ananias (PT), supported by President Lula, with 11%, and former Belo Horizonte mayor Alexandre Kalil (PDT), with 10%. Both are technically tied. Governor Mateus Simões (PSD), seeking reelection with President Romeu Zema's support, has 7%. Flávio Roscoe (PL), backed by Flávio Bolsonaro, has 3%, while Gabriel Azevedo (MDB) has 5%. Other candidates, including Túlio Lopes (PCB), Rafael Duda (PSTU), Ben Mendes (Missão), Indira Xavier (UP), and Henrique Áreas (PCO), polled at 1% or less.

The survey, which has a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of three percentage points, interviewed 1,506 voters aged 16 and older from August 21 to 24. Commissioned by Globo, it was registered with the TSE under number MG-04060/2026.

Regarding voter certainty, 54% of those polled stated their choice for governor is definitive, while 45% indicated they might change their vote by October 4. In spontaneous voting scenarios, Cleitinho led with 11%, followed by Ananias (3%) and Kalil (2%).