Campaign for the SC government is marked by polarization, attacks and debates about security

The campaign for the governor of Santa Catarina was marked by confrontations - often harsh - and the inevitable reflection of national polarization between the main candidates. Although the propaganda began mildly, the tone rose and topics such as violence against women, police actions, infrastructure and relations with the federal government dominated the interviews and networks of candidates for the position.

Candidate for re-election, Jorginho Mello (PL) became the main target of his opponents. The offensive occurred both due to his status as current governor and his favoritism in the electoral dispute, as he led the two polls carried out by Quaest, contracted by the NSC, including the possibility of victory in the 1st round.

The main "shooters" were João Rodrigues (PSD), former mayor of Chapecó for four terms, and Gelson Merísio (PSB), businessman and former state deputy. They are, respectively, second and third in the survey.

The other candidates, who did not exceed more than 2% in voting intentions, Professor Marcus Sodré, Marcelo Brigadeiro (Missão), Laís Chaud (Unidade Popular), Ralf Zimmer (PRD) and Bruno Pedreiro (PCO), also used the spaces to criticize the current management and propose changes.

The Quaest survey on September 24 asked voters what Santa Catarina's main problem is. Health (29%), infrastructure (15%), violence (10%), floods (8%) and education (6%) were the most mentioned topics.

The weight of the national scenario in the dispute in SC

Launched as Lula's official candidate for the SC government this year, Merísio is trying to overcome the barrier of his right-wing past. A declared Bolsonaro supporter in the 2018 defeat, the politician migrated to the left in 2022, coordinated Décio Lima's (PT) campaign for government that year and consolidated the shift to the left by taking the stage in these elections.

In contrast, Jorginho Mello consolidated the image attached to the Bolsonaro family, having favorable ground and unanimity with the clan throughout the campaign. Santa Catarina is one of the biggest strongholds of the country's political group, where Jair Bolsonaro, despite being defeated nationally in 2022, won 69% of the votes in the second round.

Also a right-winger and a declared admirer of Bolsonaro, João Rodrigues was the actor of a turnaround involving the national scene. Throughout the campaign, he was aligned with the national platform of Ronaldo Caiado, who is running for president and came to SC to support his supporter. On Thursday (1st), however, the Santa Catarina native announced that he abandoned his party colleague and declared his vote for Flávio.

This national polarization was not limited to the candidates' electoral programs and social networks. In debates and interviews, the topic also came up, especially in relation to dialogue and coordination with the Union, considered necessary to unlock federal investments in the state.

In the debate held by NSC TV on Tuesday (28), for example, candidates cited the need for greater dialogue with the federal government independent of the elected president. At the meeting, not only Merísio and Rodrigues, but also Ralf Zimmer, who also participated in the debate due to the party's representation, defended a greater relationship with the Union.

Violence against women and police actions

Although polarization was already present in the first chapters of the electoral dispute, one of the key points of intensification was the release of a video that captured lawyer Fernanda Klitzke (PT), alternate member of the Senate for Merísio's coalition, being knocked down, kicked and hit with a rubber bullet by the Military Police (PM). The case happened on September 13th.

After the repercussion, Merísio used election hours and social media to criticize the PM's action and cite data on violence, feminicide and threats against women in the state. On the other hand, Jorginho Mello stated that the episode was an attempt to frame the left against the corporation, but that he defended the investigation of the agents' conduct.

The case also began to guide the interviews of the other candidates, who were questioned about the episode and other topics, such as police violence, lack of personnel in the corporation, use of body cameras by agents, hate speech and, mainly, violence against women in the state.

Infrastructure, health and other topics

In addition to the ideological debate, the campaign was marked by the presentation of proposals to address structural bottlenecks in Santa Catarina. In infrastructure, for example, Mello defended the "Estrada Boa" program, the "Via Mar" project on the Santa Catarina coast, in addition to the maintenance of dams against floods amid the forecast influence of El Niño.

Proposals for duplicating highways and improving the flow of production in western Santa Catarina were also raised by the candidates. In the social field, themes such as the promise to eliminate the historic backlog of elective health surgeries, the expansion of basic sanitation and the growth of the homeless population were mentioned in the plans and campaigns.

In the final, however, the debate yielded personal attacks and thorny topics. In the NSC debate, Merísio revisited the controversial case of the death of the dog Orelha, while Rodrigues questioned Mello for the advertisements that recalled his arrest in 2018 and questioned the current governor about real estate transactions involving Jorginho Mello's son.

In counterattack, Mello recalled when Rodrigues was caught watching a pornographic video when he was a federal deputy in 2018, raising the temperature of the dispute until the last hours before the vote.