By Luciana Magalhaes, Brendan O’Boyle and Ricardo Brito
BRASÍLIA/SAO PAULO July 2 (Reuters) – A widening rift between far-right Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and his stepmother, former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, threatens to worsen his already weak standing among women voters as he campaigns for the presidency ahead of October’s general election.
The former first lady resigned on Tuesday as head of the women’s wing of the Liberal Party, whose most prominent figure is right-wing former President Jair Bolsonaro, in an escalating public dispute with her stepsons.
In a video last week that went viral, she accused Flavio of having “disrespected” and “mistreated” her by criticizing her involvement in party affairs, which she described as a “stab in the back.”
“I understood that he didn’t want my support — or that it was insignificant — so I withdrew, kept to myself,” she said in the video. “That is how I remain.”
Michelle, 44, is widely considered one of the most effective messengers to conservative and evangelical women for the party, which deployed her across the country for outreach. Her exit deprives Senator Bolsonaro of a key asset as he tries to broaden his appeal and defeat incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in October.
Polls suggest that the younger Bolsonaro, like his father before him, is struggling to boost his support among women voters.
A poll released by BTG Pactual/Nexus on Monday showed Lula leading Senator Bolsonaro among women by 18 percentage points in a hypothetical runoff, 55% to 37%. Among men, the senator held a 49% to 42% advantage.
Among all voters, the poll showed Lula winning reelection with 49% to Senator Bolsonaro’s 43%.
“In a tightly contested election, any variable moves the market,” said political scientist Rafael Favetti.
The rift between Flavio and Michelle was concerning to some voters.
“I will consider Michelle’s points, not about family, that’s personal, but about the difficulties in appointing women candidates,” said Thaise Lima, a lawyer based in Sao Paulo who identifies as right-wing. “Women still don’t have strong representation in politics.”
FAMILY FEUD
For years, Michelle Bolsonaro worked to build a network to recruit female supporters in churches and conservative groups from all corners of Brazil, softening the image of a political movement strongly associated with the combative style of her husband.
Michelle’s political influence grew when the former president, who is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for trying to overturn his 2022 election defeat, was moved to house arrest, making her a key interlocutor as one of the few people with full access to him.
The former first lady is considering running for the Senate this year, according to a person close to her, and she has been regarded as a possible presidential candidate by polling firms for months.
But the schism between Michelle and Bolsonaro’s oldest sons from previous marriages has intensified since Flavio launched his campaign late last year, as he attempts to craft an image as a moderate version of his outspoken father.
Some of his allies have been resistant to making peace with Michelle and her camp.
“Women vote really badly,” right-wing influencer Paulo Figueiredo said in a video released last week. Flavio Bolsonaro later said Figueiredo’s remarks were misguided.
A WEAK SPOT AMONG WOMEN VOTERS
Former President Bolsonaro’s two campaigns struggled to appeal to women, weighed down in part by his history of controversial and sexist remarks. Flavio Bolsonaro seemed to be trying to change that.
He has been photographed wearing a T-shirt reading “girl dad” and has floated the idea of choosing a woman as his running mate, a plan that has gained strength in recent days, according to people close to him.
Daniella Marques, a close ally of Jair Bolsonaro’s former finance minister, has emerged as a potential running mate or finance minister after joining the senator’s campaign as an economic adviser.
Still, away from the public view, the senator ignored his stepmother’s opinions when making decisions about their party’s national strategy, Michelle said in her video.
Flavio held a meeting on Wednesday with dozens of conservative women politicians in Brasilia where he made conciliatory remarks about Michelle, who was invited but did not attend.
“I have tremendous respect for Michelle, and I’m confident that we’ll get through this difficult moment and that she will be walking alongside us,” he said at the meeting.
(Reporting by Luciana Magalhaes In São Paulo and Brendan O’Boyle and Ricardo Brito in Brasília; Editing by Manuela Andreoni and Edmund Klamann)
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