Lula's government and violence become themes for Tarcísio and Haddad in heated São Paulo debate

The first debate for the São Paulo gubernatorial race on Sunday saw a heated exchange between incumbent Governor Tarcísio de Freitas and former Finance Minister Fernando Haddad. The encounter was marked by high national political stakes and mutual accusations of dishonesty, with both candidates frequently interrupting each other.

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You lost R$ 1 billion per month because you didn't want to take a picture with the president.

Haddad, representing the Workers' Party (PT), criticized Freitas for his administration's perceived ingratitude towards the federal government under President Lula da Silva. He specifically pointed to the state's delay in joining the "Propag" program, a federal mechanism for states to renegotiate debts with the Union, suggesting Freitas lost significant funds by refusing to be photographed with the president. Freitas, however, rejected the notion of political interference, countering that the Lula administration was hindering international loans and financing for São Paulo's metro system.

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The vision is not so republican, let's re-establish [the truth].

The debate also delved into the candidates' past political affiliations. Freitas urged Haddad to move on from focusing on former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is not on the ballot. Haddad, in turn, questioned Freitas's loyalty, asking if he was ashamed of his former political patron. Freitas affirmed his gratitude towards Bolsonaro, stating that "gratitude does not expire." Haddad also raised questions about Freitas's appointment of a relative of Eduardo Bolsonaro to a public policy position, which Freitas clarified was a distant cousin, not a direct family member.

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Gratitude does not expire.

International trade and political alignment also became points of contention. Haddad criticized Freitas for wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat, linking it to Donald Trump's subsequent imposition of trade tariffs on Brazil. Haddad argued for national unity in defending Brazil's interests against what he termed "ideological" attacks, implicitly criticizing Bolsonaro's supporters. Freitas acknowledged that the tariffs harmed Brazil, particularly São Paulo, and outlined state-level measures to mitigate their impact.

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What the governor has to do is put on the right cap, the Brazilian cap.