Federal deputy Aécio Neves (PSDB) registered his candidacy this Tuesday for the Senate from Minas Gerais on ex-mayor of Belo Horizonte Alexandre Kalil's (PDT) ticket, after the PDT gave up the vacancy last week. He replaces Marcelo Heringuer (PDT), brother of the state party chair Mário Heringuer, and enters the race with the campaign already underway.
The candidacy represents the continuation of a sequence of 20 years of consecutive electoral disputes by Aécio, which resulted in two consecutive terms as governor of Minas Gerais between 2003 and 2010, in addition to a presidential bid in 2014, when he was defeated by former president Dilma Rousseff (PT).
According to the latest round of the Quaest poll, released in late July, Aécio obtained 16% of voting intentions in a scenario tested as a Senate candidate, numerically behind only former mayor of Contagem Marília Campos (PT), who registered 18%. The article also mentions that, when compared with all other candidates, Aécio led in terms of rejection.
