Caiado launches presidential bid, frustrating voters craving a ‘third way’

Ronaldo Caiado, the governor of Goiás, officially launched his presidential bid on Monday, becoming the Social Democratic Party's (PSD) pick for the October race. Caiado joined the PSD earlier this year with his eye on the presidency, after his longtime political home, União Brasil, closed the door on his ambitions.

The candidacy fell to Caiado after Paraná Governor Ratinho Júnior, the party's original pick to break Brazil's political deadlock, opted out. Caiado now says he can do just that. His first moves, however, suggest he is more of a store-brand Bolsonaro than someone who can lead a “third way” between Lulism and Bolsonarism. He brings nothing to the table that is different from Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who leads some polls.

A hard-right man, Caiado’s only path toward relevance in the race is by stealing voters from Flávio Bolsonaro. But to do so would require going after Flávio, thereby alienating those very voters. At the launch of his candidacy, he tried to out-Bolsonaro the Bolsonaros, stealing a page from their playbook.