Eduardo Paes (PSD), former mayor of Rio de Janeiro, leads the voter intention polls for the state government and also appears ahead among evangelical voters, a segment historically associated with the right. His main rival, Douglas Ruas (PL), declares himself evangelical and could count on religious identification to win over part of these votes.
Paes's overtures to the evangelical public began even before the official campaign period, but intensified in the last week, when the candidate participated in agendas with religious leaders on at least four different days.
On August 30, Paes was in Nova Iguaçu, in Baixada Fluminense, where he participated in a meeting organized by Bishop Abner Ferreira, leader of the Assembly of God Madureira. The event gathered about a thousand pastors and workers, and Abner Ferreira is an old ally of the former mayor.
The evangelical votes are considered strategic in the Fluminense electoral context due to the great influence the segment exerts on the electoral process in the state.
