Flavio Bolsonaro is now officially in the running to reclaim the presidency his family lost. The senator and eldest son of Jair Bolsonaro was picked Saturday as the Liberal Party's nominee to take on President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil's election in October, Euronews reports. "Bolsonaro's blood flows here," he told supporters at a São Paulo convention, where he praised his father—who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after his 2022 defeat and is barred from making public statements. Jair Bolsonaro nonetheless "appeared" in an AI-generated video.
The son enters the race with significant liabilities. He has yet to name a running mate, has struggled to attract the centrist allies who boosted his father in 2018, and saw notable absences at the launch, including his stepmother, Michelle Bolsonaro, a key figure for evangelical voters. His campaign has been dogged by reports he sought money from a jailed banker to finance a film about Jair Bolsonaro and criticism over seeking help from US allies—his family is politically tight with President Trump—as Washington raised tariffs on Brazilian goods.
Still, he touted support from Argentina's Javier Milei, who did attend, and a message from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He's framing the contest as a showdown with Lula and Brazil's Supreme Court, which he accuses of persecuting his family. "You are going to put this presidential sash on me next year," said Bolsonaro, who also accused Brazil's Supreme Court of persecuting his family, per the AP. "This is more than a party convention. This is the beginning of the toughest battles of our life. A fight between good and evil." Lula's party is expected to confirm the 80-year-old's reelection bid on Aug. 2.
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