2026 Rio Grande do Sul gubernatorial election

2026 Rio Grande do Sul gubernatorial election

←  2022 4 October 2026 (2026-10-04)(first round) 2030 →

Opinion polls

Incumbent Governor Eduardo Leite PSD

Senatorial election

4 October 2026 (2026-10-04)(one-only round)

Opinion polls

Incumbent Senator Luis Carlos Heinze and Paulo Paim PP and PT

The 2026 Rio Grande do Sul gubernatorial election will be held on 4 October 2026 in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Voters will elect a Governor, Vice Governor, two Senators, 31 representatives for the Chamber of Deputies, and 55 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 Eduardo Leite of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), reelected in 2022 with 57.12% of the vote, is term-limited and ineligible to run for a third consecutive term. Incumbent senators Paulo Paim of the Workers' Party (PT) and Luis Carlos Heinze of the Progressives (PP) are completing their eight-year terms; Paim has announced he will not seek reelection, while Heinze is eligible to run. ^[1]

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 Eduardo Leite (PSD) was reelected in 2022 with 57.12% of the vote, defeating Onyx Lorenzoni of the Liberal Party (PL), a former minister under President Jair Bolsonaro. Leite, who first governed the state from 2019 to 2022, resigned in March 2022 to pursue a presidential bid but returned to run for governor after failing to secure his party's nomination. Originally elected as a member of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Leite switched to the Social Democratic Party (PSD) in 2025. ^{[2] [3]}

Leite governs alongside Vice Governor Gabriel Souza of the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB), who has been launched as the coalition's candidate to succeed Leite, maintaining the centrist alliance against opposition from the right-wing PL and the left-wing PT. ^[4]

Senator

Senators in Brazil serve an 8-year term, meaning the incumbents were elected in 2018.

Paulo Paim, a former metalworker and Federal Deputy, is serving his third term in the Senate. A historic figure in the Workers' Party (PT), Paim announced in November 2024 that he would not seek a fourth term in 2026, opening a major vacancy on the left. ^[5]

Luis Carlos Heinze, an agronomist, former mayor of São Borja, and former leader of the ruralist caucus in the Chamber of Deputies, was elected to the Senate in 2018 with strong support from the agricultural sector. A member of the Progressives (PP), Heinze ran for governor in 2022 but finished third; he remains eligible to run for reelection to the Senate or to contest the governorship again. ^[1]

Gubernatorial candidates

Declared candidates

• Gabriel Souza, veterinarian, current Vice-Governor of Rio Grande do Sul (since 2023), former State Deputy (2015–2022), and former President of the Legislative Assembly (2021–2022). ^[6]
• Edegar Pretto, public manager, current President of the National Supply Company (Conab) (since 2023), former State Deputy (2011–2023) and former President of the Legislative Assembly (2017–2018), and former candidate for Governor of Rio Grande do Sul in 2022. ^[7]
• Luciano Zucco, lieutenant colonel, current Federal Deputy (since 2023), and former State Deputy (2019–2023). ^[8]
• Juliana Brizola, lawyer, former State Deputy (2011–2023) and City Councilor of Porto Alegre (2009–2011), and former candidate for Mayor of Porto Alegre in 2020 and 2024. ^[9]
• Marcelo Maranata, businessman, current Mayor of Guaíba (since 2021), former mayoral candidate (2012 and 2016), and former candidate for State Deputy (2018). ^[10]
• Evandro Augusto, Federal Highway Police (PRF) officer and journalist. ^[11]

Expressed interest

• Luis Carlos Heinze, agronomist and farmer, current Senator (since 2019), former Federal Deputy (1999–2019), former Mayor of São Borja (1993–1996), and former candidate for Governor of Rio Grande do Sul (2022). ^[12]

Declined to be a candidate or withdrew

• Paulo Pimenta ,journalist and agricultural technician, current Minister of the Secretariat for Social Communication (since 2023), former Federal Deputy (2003–2023) and State Deputy (1999–2003), and former City Councilor of Santa Maria (1989–1998). ^[13]
• Onyx Lorenzoni, veterinarian, former Minister of Labor, Citizenship, and Chief of Staff (2019–2022), former Federal Deputy (2003–2023), and former candidate for Governor of Rio Grande do Sul (2022) and Mayor of Porto Alegre (2004 and 2008). ^[14]

References

1. Cavalar, Bolívar (2025-12-18). "Rio Grande do Sul elegerá dois senadores em 2026". Jornal do Comércio (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-01-01.
2. "Eduardo Leite (PSDB) vence as eleições e é o novo governador do Rio Grande do Sul". Justiça Eleitoral (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-01-01.
3. Arruda, Laurita (2025-05-09). "PSDB perde Eduardo Leite para PSD de Kassab que empata número de governadores a PT e União Brasil". Território Livre (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-01-01.
4. Cavalar, Bolívar (2025-11-30). "Gabriel Souza é confirmado como pré-candidato ao Piratini pelo MDB". Jornal do Comércio (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-01-01.
5. "Após 22 anos como senador, Paim anuncia último mandato". Senado Federal (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-01-01.
6. "MDB gaúcho mobiliza Alto Uruguai em Erechim e confirma Gabriel Souza como candidato ao governo em 2026". Jornal Boa Vista e Rádio Cultura 105.9 Fm (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2025-10-02. Retrieved 2026-01-01.
7. Brandes, Marcela (2025-11-26). "Edegar Pretto larga na frente na disputa pelo governo do RS, aponta nova pesquisa - Brasil de Fato" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-01-01.
8. "VÍDEO: Bolsonaro anuncia pré-candidaturas de Zucco ao governo do RS e de Sanderson ao Senado". abc+ | abcmais.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2025-06-11. Retrieved 2026-01-01.
9. "RS tem quatro pré-candidatos ao governo do Estado para eleição de 2026". G1 (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2025-11-29. Retrieved 2026-01-01.
10. Povo, Correio do (2025-12-21). "PSDB confirma Maranata na disputa pelo governo do RS em 2026". Correio do Povo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-01-01.
11. Ferreira, Marcelo (2025-12-22). "Seis pré-candidatos disputam ao cargo de governador gaúcho nas eleições de 2026 - Brasil de Fato" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-01-01.
12. "RS tem quatro pré-candidatos confirmados para disputar o governo do Estado em 2026". GZH (in Portuguese). 2025-11-30. Retrieved 2026-01-01.
13. "Após imbróglio de meses, PT confirma pré-candidatura de Paulo Pimenta ao Senado pelo RS". VEJA (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-01-01.
14. Povo, Correio do (2025-06-16). "Eleições 2026: Onyx Lorenzoni promete que não será empecilho para articulações do PP no RS". Correio do Povo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 2026-01-01.