Flávio Bolsonaro campaign hit by internal disputes amid falling polls

Flávio Bolsonaro's presidential campaign is navigating internal strife less than four months before the election, grappling with a recent scandal and declining poll numbers. The campaign faced a significant setback after the Intercept revealed Bolsonaro had requested R$134 million from Daniel Vorcaro, a key figure in Brazil's largest banking fraud, to fund a film about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Previously, Bolsonaro had seen a rise in polls with minimal scrutiny. However, the situation shifted, prompting him to engage more with the "bolsonarismo raiz" base, a group less affected by the reputational damage from the Vorcaro audio revelations. Five individuals involved in the campaign spoke to Estadão, detailing rivalries for influence and disagreements over the path forward.

According to campaign members, a "physiological" rivalry exists within the team, stemming from competition for proximity to Flávio and influence over the campaign's direction. Disputes center on controlling social media content, the type of discourse Bolsonaro adopts, and how he presents himself as a presidential candidate. These internal conflicts have led to staff departures in the past month. One point of contention involves Fernando Pessoa, a Senate aide acting as a digital marketer, and newly hired advertising professionals. Marcos Carvalho, the campaign's social media strategist, recently left due to disagreements with Pessoa.

Pessoa's ideas, such as the slogan T-shirts Bolsonaro has worn at events, are reportedly shaping the candidate's image. Allies compare these T-shirts to Trump's MAGA hat, highlighting the type of strategic moves conceived by the campaign's lead marketer. The phrases are derived from sentiments captured by Pessoa's team among residents in regions visited by Bolsonaro. For instance, in Altamira (Pará), he wore "The Amazon is ours." In Luís Eduardo Magalhães (Bahia), a farming hub, the slogan was "Lula taxes, we plant"; in Paraná, a state associated with Operation Car Wash, it was "Curitiba arrested, Brasília released."

Businessman Marcello Lopes, a friend of Flávio's who coordinated the communications area, also departed after clashing with Senator Rogério Marinho (PL-RN), the campaign's general coordinator. Professionals associated with Lopes also left the team. Another source of dissatisfaction is the "ideological" dispute. One faction complains about pressure to appeal to the "bolsonarismo raiz" from external allies like Eduardo Bolsonaro and Paulo Figueiredo, while communication professionals advocate for focusing on the broader electorate.