Anthony Garotinho, a Republicanos politician, often complains that young journalists have no idea how big he once was. Governor of Rio de Janeiro between 1999 and 2002, he was approved by 68% of fluminense voters during his term, which made him the highest-rated executive in Brazil during Fernando Henrique Cardoso's second government.
In the election that first elected Lula for the Presidency, Garotinho gave up running for re-election to the Rio government and aimed for an ambitious flight to the presidential palace via PSB, without losing control of his political stronghold. The presidential adventure did not bring negative results for him, quite the opposite.
In addition to getting his wife, Rosinha Garotinho, elected as his successor in the Rio government in the first round, Garotinho achieved a surprising third place in the presidential race, winning 15 million votes. He came in behind only former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, who was defeated by Lula, and ahead of former governor of Ceará Ciro Gomes, former president Lula, and former Health Minister José Serra.
The analysis traces the profile of a politician who, over 25 years, managed to shrink in terms of popularity and power, but remained active and relevant in the Brazilian political scene, surviving the changes in the political landscape over the decades.
