The Senate dispute has gained weight in the strategies of the largest parties with presidential candidates for the 2026 elections. A GLOBO survey using data from the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) shows that PL and PT expanded the resources allocated to Senate candidacies compared to the last election in which two seats per state were contested, in 2018.
The current PL, which at that time was called Partido da República (PR), went from R$14.7 million to R$79 million this year. PT went from R$25 million to R$34 million. The data was extracted from the TSE's Electoral Candidacies and Accounts Disclosure database, which gathers information about candidates, parties, and electoral accounts.
The comparison with 2018 was chosen because that year, just like in 2026, two-thirds of Senate seats were contested—that is, two seats per state and the Federal District. In 2022, only one-third of the seats were renewed.
The 2026 figures represent a snapshot of the transfers registered so far, indicating an intensification of the dispute for control of the House with presidential candidates from both parties.
