Brazil's PT backs coalition candidates in Southern governor races

The Brazilian Workers' Party (PT) will not field its own candidates in the 2024 gubernatorial elections in the three Southern states—Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná. Instead, PT is supporting Gelson Merisio (PSB) in Santa Catarina, Juliana Brizola (PDT) in Rio Grande do Sul, and Requião Filho (PDT) in Paraná. The allied left‑wing parties PSOL and PCdoB will join the same coalition, a strategy the PT says is intended to defend democracy and block the rise of Bolsonaro‑aligned forces.

In Santa Catarina, PSTU pre‑candidate Marcus Sodré, a public‑school history teacher, announced that his first act as governor would be to lower his own salary to match that of a state teacher and to propose equal pay for state deputies. He told ND Mais, “My first measure as governor will be to set the governor's salary exactly equal to a teacher’s salary.” The proposal also includes automatic salary adjustments for teachers whenever the governor’s pay is increased.