Douglas Ruas's sabbatical with GLOBO, Extra, Valor and CBN follows a classic pattern of Fluminense politics: hiding allies during campaigns. The article analyzes this strategy, which is not new in Rio de Janeiro.
Twenty years ago, Sérgio Cabral, MDB candidate for state governor in 2006, used the same tactic when questioned about fellow party member Anthony Garotinho, former governor and husband of Rosinha Garotinho, who was governing the state at the time. On that occasion, Cabral deflected by saying he was "a candidate for himself" and that he had no political patron.
Eight years later, Luiz Fernando Pezão, Cabral's former deputy and candidate for governor, repeated the strategy. At that time, Cabral was already worn down by the 2013 protests, the scandal of the "Napkin Party" in Paris, and the controversies surrounding private helicopter trips using an official aircraft with his dog Juquinha.
The analysis suggests that Douglas Ruas is adopting the same posture as his predecessors in Fluminense politics, hiding allies during the sabbatical to avoid associating his campaign with unpopular figures, repeating a recurring behavior among candidates for governor of Rio de Janeiro.
