PT and PSDB back ‘Marécio’ Senate ticket in Minas Gerais to block more right-wing candidates

In Minas Gerais, former Contagem mayor Marília Campos and federal lawmaker Aécio Neves are being promoted as a joint Senate vote under the blended name “Marécio.” The unusual pairing puts the PT and PSDB, historic rivals, on the same side of the October election.

The effort aims to prevent right-wing candidates from winning Senate seats in the state and concentrate support behind the two strongest candidates. Campos leads in every scenario cited by the article, while Neves placed second the last time his name was tested.

The leading right-wing names include federal lawmaker Domingos Sávio of Bolsonaro’s PL, Senator Carlos Viana of the PSD, and Marcelo Aro of the PP. Viana performs best among that group in the polls. Aro is a former secretary in the government of Romeu Zema, though he has since broken with the former governor and presidential candidate.

The campaigns of Campos and Neves view the initiative favorably. The two have maintained good relations since they converged politically in Minas Gerais after 2005, when Neves was governor and Campos became Contagem’s first woman mayor after winning in 2004. She won re-election in 2008.

State party leaders told Estadão that Neves may have more to gain. He is widely known in Minas Gerais but also has the highest rejection rate among the candidates, at about 52% according to a July Datafolha poll. Campos is less known statewide and ranks second in rejection, which the article links to the PT’s weak performance in Minas Gerais. Neves returned to the race after saying he would not seek elected office again, following the withdrawal of candidates in the PDT and PSDB-Cidadania coalition. He is now the only Senate candidate on the ticket of former Belo Horizonte mayor Alexandre Kalil, who is running for governor.