Lula’s strong showing in São Paulo has encouraged the Workers’ Party (PT) to look ahead to the city’s 2028 mayoral election, where it expects to face a candidate backed by the political group of Mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB). Party members point to gains in peripheral neighborhoods, support among younger voters and social media mobilization as positives from the campaign.

In the capital, Lula’s vote share rose from 46.5% in the first round to 55.5% in the second, an increase of nearly 800,000 votes. Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) rose from 42.1% to 44.5%. State deputy Paulo Fiorilo (PT) said the second-round momentum offered a more positive outlook than the party’s performance in the 2024 municipal election.

PT councilman João Ananias said the party should work to sustain engagement on the streets and at universities. Fellow councilman Alessandro Guedes said voters had shown a desire for change in the city. State deputy Antonio Donato said the result had motivated the party, but it would need to choose its candidate carefully.

That choice remains unresolved after unsuccessful mayoral bids by Jilmar Tatto and Guilherme Boulos, who is expected to join the PT. Names being discussed include Health Minister Alexandre Padilha and federal deputy-elect Luna Zarattini. Other possible options on the left include Simone Tebet, now with the PSB, and Boulos. The PSB’s Tabata Amaral, who ran in 2024, is also seeking another bid.

The party also faces pressure to resolve the situation of councilman Senival Moura, who has been detained for the second time this year on suspicion of links to the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC). A PT politician, speaking anonymously, said the party leadership needed to address the matter promptly.

On Nunes’s side, federal deputy-elect Sidney Cruz (MDB) is considered the leading potential candidate. The mayor’s group is counting on public works scheduled for completion by the end of 2028. Nunes’s administration has 19 projects planned for inauguration before the next election, with a combined cost of R$3.79 billion.

Edson Aparecido, Nunes’s government secretary and adviser, said the PT’s electoral success would not affect the 2028 municipal race. He argued that the elections are different and said voters’ decisions would be shaped by completed projects rather than ideological messaging.

Sources: Folha Poder.