Bolsonaro Erases Lula’s Lead in Brazil’s Most Populous State

  • State of Sao Paulo is potential harbinger of national trends
  • President backed raft of measures to ease economic hardship

Jair Bolsonaro

Photographer: Andre Borges/Bloomberg
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President Jair Bolsonaro is statistically tied with leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brazil’s most populous state after the incumbent backed a flurry of measures to ease economic hardship, according to a new poll.

The survey by Quaest shows Lula winning 37% of first-round voter intentions in Sao Paulo, and Bolsonaro closing in with 35%. The challenger’s lead falls within the poll’s margin of error.