Cleitinho Azevedo wins Minas Gerais governorship in first round

Senator Cleitinho Azevedo (Republicanos) was elected governor of Minas Gerais on Sunday with 55.34% of valid votes, avoiding a runoff. With 94% of polling stations reporting, federal deputy Patrus Ananias (PT), backed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, finished second with 26.2%. Incumbent Governor Mateus Simões (PSD), who succeeded Romeu Zema, and businessman Flávio Roscoe (PL), allied with Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, trailed in third and fourth place respectively.

Cleitinho maintained a consistent lead in pre-election polls from Datafolha, Quaest, AtlasIntel, and Real Time Big Data despite a turbulent campaign. In July, the Republicanos national leadership briefly withdrew his candidacy amid his indecision; he announced his withdrawal in early August citing family reasons, only to reverse days later. The party ultimately confirmed him with former Patos de Minas mayor Luís Eduardo Falcão as running mate.

“Cleitinho managed to maintain favoritism at the polls, even after a troubled start.”

The uncertainty prompted the Liberal Party (PL) to launch its own candidate, Flávio Roscoe, former president of the Minas Gerais Industry Federation (Fiemg). This created a split in the Bolsonaro-aligned vote, though Cleitinho declared support for Flávio Bolsonaro's presidential bid. Roscoe finished with 7.08% of valid votes, while Simões, despite having the most TV airtime and incumbency advantages, failed to advance.