São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicanos) has been working behind the scenes as a counselor for Flavio Bolsonaro's (PL) presidential campaign, keeping a distance from any direct public participation on the candidate's campaign stump. With his own re-election bid to maintain and the challenge of preserving voters who also support Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), Tarcísio balances public rapprochement while maintaining dialogue with the presidential campaign's coordinator, Rogério Marinho (PL-RN).
Tarcísio has been alerting Marinho about statements and topics capable of causing backlash for Flavio. The most recent episode occurred last week, when the presidential candidate stated during a social media livestream that he could review the percentage of ethanol mixed into gasoline.
Flavio's statement about ethanol triggered an immediate reaction from biofuel sector entities and concern among agribusiness representatives. In response to the negative fallout, Tarcísio reached out to Marinho to address the matter.
