Lula urges veteran PT leader Patrus Ananias to run for Minas Gerais governorship

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has personally appealed to federal deputy Patrus Ananias, a longtime PT figure, to become the party’s candidate for governor of Minas Gerais, Brazil’s second‑largest electoral college. Lula told Patrus, “I need you in Minas Gerais so Minas can be what it was,” emphasizing the state’s strategic importance for his re‑election bid.

Patrus, former mayor of Belo Horizonte (1993‑96) and former minister of Social Development under Lula and of Agrarian Development under Dilma Rousseff, is seen as a strong PT name due to his past role in rolling out Bolsa Família. The PT is weighing his candidacy against other possibilities, including former justice minister Jarbas Soares Júnior and various centrist‑left options being negotiated with the MDB and PSB. Internal party discussions also note Minas Gerais’ severe fiscal deficit of about R$ 183 billion, which raises the stakes of the gubernatorial contest.

The move reflects broader generational tensions within the PT, as senior figures like Fernando Haddad represent a different faction. Lula’s direct outreach signals an effort to secure a PT‑aligned governor in a state where right‑wing candidate Tarcísio de Freitas leads the polls, aiming to prevent a first‑round victory that could harm Lula’s national campaign.