Executives Open Wallets Early for 2026 Elections
Wealthy business leaders and financiers from Brazil's corporate heartland have begun making their first campaign contributions of the election cycle, using the country's instant payment system Pix. The donations, recorded in August, give an early glimpse of which candidates and parties are winning support from the private sector well before the 2026 general election.
Among the notable donors is Wilson de Almeida Júnior, a partner at construction firm Pacaembu and a perennial name on top donor lists. He sent R$ 300,000 to the municipal branch of the centre-right PSD party in Araçatuba, São Paulo state. Antonio Augusto Torres de Bastos Filho, founder and chairman of wind energy pioneer Serena Energia (formerly Ômega), donated R$ 30,000 to Marina Helena, an economist who lost the 2024 São Paulo mayoral race and is now seeking a federal deputy seat for the liberal party Novo.
Asset manager Capitânia co-founder Arturo Profili contributed R$ 25,000 to Christian Lohbauer, a political scientist running for federal deputy in São Paulo, also for Novo. Horácio Lafer Piva, a shareholder and board member at pulp and paper giant Klabin, gave R$ 20,000 to the national leadership of the PSD, the party of presidential hopeful Ronaldo Caiado. Márcio Hannas, former head of rail operations at CCR and now leading an energy company, also donated R$ 20,000 to the PSD's national branch.
What the First Donations Reveal About Political Leanings
The donations, though modest in size, help map the political geography of Brazil's business elite. The early money is flowing overwhelmingly to centre-right and liberal parties—the PSD, a pragmatic centrist force that has governed in several states, and the economically liberal Novo. While it is too soon to draw firm conclusions, the pattern suggests that entrepreneurs from heavy industry, energy and finance are aligning with parties that promise fiscal discipline and market-friendly policies.
PSD and Novo Attract the First Cheques
The PSD, led by Gilberto Kassab and now backing Ronaldo Caiado for president, received three of the five listed donations, including the largest single contribution. Novo, a smaller but ideologically rigorous party, captured two donations, both targeted at specific São Paulo candidates. The absence of contributions to left-wing parties in this initial batch is notable, though many other donors will likely emerge as the campaign intensifies.
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