Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro close 2026 campaigns in Sao Paulo

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro held their final campaign events in Sao Paulo state on Saturday ahead of the October 4 first round. Lula walked down Rua Augusta in central Sao Paulo alongside gubernatorial candidate Fernando Haddad and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin. He urged voters over 70 to participate despite optional voting rules, citing Datafolha data showing his support among those over 60 rose from 42% to 49%. Lula also criticized credit card interest rates and sports betting, calling the latter a "disease" for Brazilians. Military police briefly clashed with organizers over sound trucks during the rally.

Flavio Bolsonaro led a motorcycle convoy from Santa Barbara d'Oeste to Americana with Governor Tarcisio de Freitas and Sao Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes. At the Americana rally, Flavio attacked the Supreme Court, claiming it acts like a "police station" and accusing the Workers' Party of using institutions to persecute opponents without evidence. He later joined a second motorcade in Rio de Janeiro between Campo Grande and Bangu, declaring it the final street act before victory.

“We need to convince people of 70 years that they have to vote for their son, for their father, for their brother. Nobody can consider themselves incapable at 70. I am 80 and I feel like a 15-year-old boy.”

The dueling events crystallized the campaign's central divide: Lula focused on economic relief for indebted families and senior turnout, while Flavio bet on judicial reform rhetoric and mobilization of the Bolsonaro base across Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.