São Paulo governor race propaganda begins with Tarcísio cautious, Haddad pressured

Free electoral propaganda for the São Paulo governor race kicks off Friday, marking a crucial phase for both incumbent Tarcísio de Freitas and challenger Fernando Haddad.

Freitas's coalition commands a significant advantage in airtime, holding over six minutes, more than double the two minutes and 39 seconds allocated to Haddad's alliance. This disparity highlights the current polling landscape, where Freitas leads Haddad by a substantial margin.

Haddad, facing pressure from recent polls, has centered his campaign on issues he identifies as weaknesses in Freitas's administration, including education, public finances, and security. These themes are expected to remain central as the campaign progresses.

Meanwhile, Freitas's campaign team is working to temper any sense of overconfidence, as they believe it could alienate voters. The governor himself has been cautious, avoiding direct confrontations and opting out of scheduled interviews. His campaign strategy involves presenting a positive review of his term, emphasizing housing projects, infrastructure work, and renewed promises on public safety. A key concern is ensuring voters remember his ballot number, 10, to avoid confusion with a presidential candidate sharing the same number.