The 2026Rio de Janeiro gubernatorial election will be held on 4 October 2026 in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. Voters will elect a Governor, Vice Governor, two Senators, 46 representatives for the Chamber of Deputies, and 70 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 Cláudio Castro of the Liberal Party (PL), reelected in 2022 with 58.67% of the vote, is term-limited and ineligible to run for a third consecutive term. Incumbent senators Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) and Carlos Portinho (PL) (who assumed the seat following the death of Arolde de Oliveira in 2020) are completing their eight-year terms and are eligible to run for reelection or other offices.
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 Cláudio Castro was elected in the first round of the 2022 election with 58.67% of the vote, defeating Marcelo Freixo of the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB). Castro, who was originally elected as Vice Governor in 2018 alongside Wilson Witzel, assumed the governorship permanently in May 2021 following Witzel's impeachment and removal from office. Because he served the remainder of Witzel's term and was subsequently reelected for a full term in 2022, he is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive period in executive office.[1][2]
Castro governs alone, since Vice Governor Thiago Pampolha of the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB) resigned from office[3]. Pampolha was elected on the Brazil Union (União) ticket in 2022 but switched to the MDB in 2024, a move that caused significant political friction within the governing coalition and led to his dismissal from the State Secretariat of Environment.[4] The movement of resign of Pampolha opened path for the next on succession line, Rodrigo Bacellar, president of the State's Deputy's Assembly to take over if Castro also resign, which he aspires to try to be elected senator on 2026.
Senator
Senators in Brazil serve an 8-year term, meaning the incumbents were elected in 2018.
Flávio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, was elected to the Senate in 2018. A prominent figure in the Liberal Party (PL), he is eligible for reelection, though he was recently announced as his father's candidate in the 2026 presidential election.[5]
Carlos Portinho, a lawyer specializing in sports law, currently holds the second Senate seat. He was elected as the first alternate to Arolde de Oliveira (PSD) in 2018. Portinho assumed the office permanently in November 2020 after Oliveira died from complications of COVID-19. He has since become a key leadership figure for the opposition in the Senate and is eligible to run for a full term.[6]
Gubernatorial candidates
Declared candidates
Eduardo Paes, lawyer, current Mayor of Rio de Janeiro (since 2021), former Mayor of Rio de Janeiro (2009–2016), former Federal Deputy (1999–2008), and candidate for Governor of Rio de Janeiro in 2018.[7]
Glauber Braga, activist, current Federal Deputy (since 2011) and candidate for Mayor of Nova Friburgo in 2008.[8]
Expressed interest
Dr. Luizinho, physician, current Federal Deputy (since 2019), former Secretary of Health of Rio de Janeiro (2023; 2016–2018), and former Secretary of Health of Nova Iguaçu (2013–2016).[9]
Eduardo Pazuello, army general and bureaucrat, current Federal Deputy (since 2023) and former Minister of Health (2020–2021).[10]
Tarcísio Motta, history teacher, current Federal Deputy (since 2023), former City Councilor of Rio de Janeiro (2017–2023), candidate for Governor of Rio de Janeiro in 2014 and 2018, and candidate for Mayor of Rio de Janeiro in 2024.[10]
Speculated by the media
Lindbergh Farias, former student union leader, current Federal Deputy (since 2023), former City Councilor of Rio de Janeiro (2021–2023), former Senator (2011–2019), former Mayor of Nova Iguaçu (2005–2010), former Federal Deputy (1995–2004), and candidate for Governor of Rio de Janeiro in 2014.
Washington Reis, businessman, former Secretary of Transport of Rio de Janeiro (2023–2025), former Mayor of Duque de Caxias (2017–2022; 2005–2008), former Federal Deputy (2011–2017), and candidate for Vice-Governor of Rio de Janeiro in 2022.
Felipe Curi, Policeman, Secretary of Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro (since 2023).
Douglas Ruas, State Deputy (since 2023), Secretary of Cities of Rio de Janeiro (since 2023).
Nicola Miccione, Secretary of the Civil House of Rio de Janeiro (since 2020).
Declined or withdrew
Flávio Bolsonaro, lawyer, current Senator (since 2019), former State Deputy (2003–2019), and candidate for Mayor of Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Rodrigo Bacellar, lawyer, current President of the Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro (since 2023), current State Deputy (since 2019), and former Secretary of Government of Rio de Janeiro (2021–2022).
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