The 2026 Pernambuco gubernatorial election will be held in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, on Sunday 4 October 2026. Voters will elect a Governor, Vice Governor, two Senators, 25 representatives for the Chamber of Deputies, and 49 Legislative Assembly members. If no candidate for president or governor receives a majority of the valid votes in the first round, a runoff election is held on 25 October.
Incumbent governor Raquel Lyra of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), elected in 2022 with 58.70% of the vote in the second round, is eligible to run for a second term. Incumbent senators Humberto Costa of the Workers' Party (PT) and Fernando Dueire of the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB), who assumed Jarbas Vasconcelos' seat upon his retirement, are completing their eight-year terms and are eligible to run for reelection.
Background
Electoral calendar
Note: This section only presents the main dates of the 2026 electoral calendar, check the TSE official website (in Portuguese) and other official sources for detailed information.
Electoral calendar
15 May
Start of crowdfunding of candidates
20 July to 5 August
Party conventions for choosing candidates and coalitions
16 August to 1 October
Period of exhibition of free electoral propaganda on radio, television and on the internet related to the first round
4 October
First round of 2026 elections
9 October to 23 October
Period of exhibition of free electoral propaganda on radio, television and on the internet related to a possible second round
25 October
Possible second round of 2026 elections
until 19 December
Delivery of electoral diplomas for those who were elected in the 2026 elections by the Brazilian Election Justice
Governor
Incumbent governor Raquel Lyra was elected in the second round of the 2022 election with 58.70% of the vote, defeating Marília Arraes of Solidarity. Lyra, a former mayor of Caruaru and state deputy, became the first woman to govern the state, running on a centrist platform that defeated the traditional Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) political machine. Because she is currently serving her first term, she is eligible to run for reelection in 2026.[1]
Lyra governs alongside Vice Governor Priscila Krause, who was elected on the Cidadania ticket in 2022. In a strategic realignment of the state's political forces, Krause affiliated with the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB) in March 2025, just one day before Governor Lyra left that same party to join the Social Democratic Party (PSD). This coordinated move maintained the coalition's structural integrity while bringing the administration closer to the federal government's base, led by Gilberto Kassab's PSD.[2]
Senator
Senators in Brazil serve an 8-year term, meaning the incumbents were elected in 2018.
Humberto Costa, a physician and former Minister of Health, was ree-elected to the Senate in 2018 as a member of the Workers' Party (PT). A historic leader of the left in the Northeast, he has focused his mandate on public health defense and human rights, first being elected in 2010. He is eligible for reelection and remains a key figure in the state's alliance with the Lula administration.[3]
Fernando Dueire, an economist and civil servant, currently holds the second Senate seat. He was elected in 2018 as the first alternate to veteran politician Jarbas Vasconcelos (MDB). Dueire assumed the office permanently in September 2023 after Vasconcelos retired from public life due to health issues. A long-time technical ally of Jarbas, Dueire has maintained the MDB's representation in the upper house and is eligible to run for a full term.[4][5]
Gubernatorial candidates
Declared candidates
Raquel Lyra, lawyer and former police chief, current Governor of Pernambuco (since 2023), former Mayor of Caruaru (2017–2022), and former State Deputy (2011–2016).[6]
João Henrique Campos, civil engineer, current Mayor of Recife (since 2021), and former Federal Deputy (2019–2020).[7]
Expressed interest
Gilson Machado Neto, veterinarian and entrepreneur, former Minister of Tourism (2020–2022), former President of Embratur (2019–2020), candidate for Senator in 2022, and candidate for Mayor of Recife in 2024.[8]
Speculated by the media
Marília Arraes, lawyer, former Federal Deputy (2019–2023), former City Councilor of Recife (2009–2019), candidate for Governor of Pernambuco in 2022, and candidate for Mayor of Recife in 2020.[9]
Miguel Coelho, lawyer, former Mayor of Petrolina (2017–2022), former State Deputy (2015–2016), and candidate for Governor of Pernambuco in 2022.[10]
Anderson Ferreira, entrepreneur, former Mayor of Jaboatão dos Guararapes (2017–2022), former Federal Deputy (2011–2016), and candidate for Governor of Pernambuco in 2022.[11]
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