Quaest poll: Eduardo Paes leads Rio election with 37%; Ruas at 14%, Garotinho at 7%

Former Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes maintains a strong lead in the state's gubernatorial election race, according to a new Quaest poll. Paes, representing the PSD party, garnered 37% of first-round voting intentions, a slight dip from 38% recorded a month prior but still comfortably ahead of his rivals.

Trailing Paes is Douglas Ruas, president of the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj), who saw his support increase to 14% from 10% in the previous poll. Former governor Anthony Garotinho is in third place with 7%, now technically behind Ruas within the poll's margin of error. Garotinho's support has remained stagnant at 10% since the last survey.

The poll also highlights a substantial segment of undecided voters, with 20% yet to choose a candidate. Additionally, 16% of respondents indicated they intend to cast a blank, nullify, or abstain from voting, reflecting potential voter apathy or dissatisfaction with the current options.

The survey, conducted by Quaest and commissioned by TV Globo, interviewed 1,302 voters between August 21 and 24. It was registered with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) and has a margin of error of three percentage points. The poll also explored second-round scenarios, showing Paes leading Ruas 50% to 20%, and Paes leading Garotinho 53% to 12%.