The campaign for the government of Minas Gerais was marked by discussions about the state's financial situation, the quality of public services and the regional challenges faced by Minas Gerais municipalities. The race for the position of governor also included candidates that were only defined very close to the end of the deadline stipulated by the Electoral Court.
Until the first round, which will be held this Sunday (4), the debt of more than R$180 billion with the Union, the queues at the SUS, violence against women, the conditions of the highways and the impacts of droughts and floods were among the most frequent topics in debates, interviews and electoral agendas.
Although the candidates presented different diagnoses and plans for the problems highlighted, most of the proposals focused on similar areas, especially health, public safety, education and infrastructure.
This report covers the topics below:
Indefiniteness before confirming applications
State debt and tax incentives
Queues and health care inside
Combating feminicide and technology in security
Highways, tolls and metropolitan transport
Full-time education and appreciation of teachers
Droughts, floods and mining
Topics that had less space
Most visited regions
Administrative City of Minas Gerais, seat of the state government — Photo: Raquel Freitas/TV Globo
Indefiniteness before confirming applications
The electoral race in Minas Gerais began months before the official start of the campaign and was marked by party articulations, withdrawals and uncertainty regarding some of the main candidates.
On the left, the Workers' Party (PT) faced differences over the strategy for the state dispute.
For months, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) tried to convince the former president of Congress, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSB), to be the candidate with his support in Minas. However, in May 2026, the senator publicly denied the proposal and said he would end his political career at the end of his term.
Afterwards, the name of the former mayor of Contagem, Marília Campos (PT), was mentioned for the dispute, but the politician decided to maintain her pre-candidacy for the Senate. Marília went so far as to classify the PT's choice of a name to run for the Minas Gerais government as a "strategic mistake" and defended the construction of a broader front of allied parties.
Finally, the PT announced the name of Patrus Ananias as a candidate for the government of MG, and the former Attorney General of Justice Jarbas Soares Júnior as his deputy.
There was also uncertainty in the pre-campaign for the government involving senator Cleitinho Azevedo (Republicans). Leader in voting intention polls, even before confirming his candidacy, his name was probed and placed in doubt for months.
The party to which Cleitinho is affiliated confirmed his pre-candidacy in March, but did not make the name official during the state convention, held in July. When asked, Cleitinho also did not confirm whether he would run for the position.
There was a sequence of back and forth: Azevedo announced that he would not run for government, went back, asked the party to run, had the request denied and, days later, ended up confirmed as a candidate.
During the period in which Cleitinho's political future remained undefined, allied parties began to discuss alternatives to replace him. Among the names considered was Marcelo Aro (PP), who later ended up running as a candidate for the position of senator.
Montage shows candidates for the government of Minas Gerais Alexandre Kalil (PDT), Ben Mendes (Missão), Cleitinho (Republicans), Flávio Roscoe (PL), Gabriel (MDB), Henrique Areas (PCO), Indira Xavier (UP), Mateus Simões (PSD), Patrus Ananias (PT), Rafael Duda (PSTU) and Professor Túlio Lopes (PCB) — Photo: Reproduction/TV Globo
State debt and tax incentives
The fiscal situation in Minas was present throughout the campaign. The State Debt Payment Program (Propag) divided the candidates.
Mateus Simões (PSD) and Gabriel (MDB), for example, defended the agreement approved to renegotiate the debt with the Union. Simões stated that the program is the main way to face state liabilities and proposed directing saved resources to road works. Gabriel classified the modality chosen by the Minas Gerais government as the best among the available options.
On the other hand, Alexandre Kalil (PDT) and Patrus Ananias (PT) said that Propag's terms need to be reviewed. Kalil argued that the model is insufficient to solve the debt problem and proposed renegotiating terms and interest with the federal government. Patrus also defended the extension of the payment period.
Both Cleitinho Azevedo (Republicans) and Flávio Roscoe (PL) went so far as to classify the program as "a necessary evil" and spoke of renegotiation with the federal government.
Indira Xavier (UP), Rafael Duda (PSTU), Henrique Areas (PCO) and Professor Túlio Lopes (PCB) defended more critical positions in relation to the state's debt. The proposals included an audit of public debt, suspension of payments to the Union and expansion of state control over companies and sectors considered strategic.
Tax exemptions granted to companies were also the subject of disagreement. Kalil, Patrus and candidates from parties such as UP, PSTU and PCB supported the need to review tax benefits.
Cleitinho proposed maintaining only incentives linked to the creation of jobs and investments. Gabriel suggested increasing the transparency of these mechanisms through a public panel. Roscoe came out in defense of the exemptions, arguing that the benefit attracts resources to the state.
Ben Mendes (Mission) did not deal directly with Propag, but defended measures aimed at attracting private investment and reducing bureaucracy for opening companies. He also said that, if elected, he intends to condition tax benefits on performance targets.
Queues and health care inside
Health was one of the most recurring topics of the campaign, especially in rural cities. Most of the candidates presented proposals aimed at reducing queues for consultations, exams and surgeries and reducing the need for patients to travel to Belo Horizonte.
Mateus Simões defended expanding basic care coverage, completing new basic health units and expanding regional hospitals.
Alexandre Kalil proposed reorganizing assistance by macro-regions and creating regional service lines for specialties with greater demand.
Cleitinho Azevedo presented the so-called "Mineira Table of Strategic Procedures", with the aim of supplementing resources allocated to elective surgeries and exams. He also defended strengthening intermunicipal consortia and philanthropic hospitals.
Gabriel prioritized management measures, such as transparency of queues, digitalization of medical records, telemedicine and regional joint efforts.
Patrus Ananias defended the strengthening of the family health strategy, the Minas Gerais State Hospital Foundation (Fhemig) and regional hospitals.
Flávio Roscoe proposed to internalize care and increase investments to expand medical assistance to the population.
Indira Xavier defended the expansion of public investments in the Unified Health System (SUS) and the creation of regional hospitals. Rafael Duda proposed ending private management models in the units and expanding direct financing from the SUS.
Ben Mendes presented proposals aimed at creating regional specialty hubs, expanding telemedicine and expanding the service network.
Professor Túlio Lopes and Henrique Areas took a stand in favor of public competitions, expansion of the state network and increased investments in public health.
Combating feminicide and technology in security
Public security also gained prominence in the dispute, especially after the repercussion of cases of femicide registered in the state. Tackling violence against women appeared in proposals from different candidates.
Mateus Simões promised to expand the Maria da Penha Patrol to all municipalities in Minas Gerais.
Alexandre Kalil defended the maintenance of specialized police stations operating 24 hours a day and greater integration between the areas of security and social assistance.
Cleitinho Azevedo proposed the expansion of specialized police stations, the use of electronic ankle bracelets by aggressors and the development of preventive actions in schools.
Flávio Roscoe took a stand in favor of periodic reevaluations of protective measures by the Civil Police.
Gabriel and Patrus Ananias defended Minas' adherence to the National Pact to Prevent Femicides. Patrus also proposed expanding the number of police stations and shelters for women.
Indira Xavier and Rafael Duda argued in favor of social protection policies for women victims of violence, including financial, legal and housing support.
Henrique Areas and Professor Túlio Lopes focused the security proposals on measures associated with strengthening public services and expanding the state's operations.
In the fight against organized crime, the use of technology has gained ground.
Simões proposed the Escudo Mineiro program, based on currency monitoring through facial recognition and license plate reading.
Roscoe proposed installing more than 200,000 facial recognition devices in the state.
Gabriel defended the use of body cameras by police officers and measures to make it difficult to receive stolen cell phones.
Kalil defended the replacement of personnel in the security forces, especially in the interior of the state.
Cleitinho promised to act in the fight against the financial structures of criminal factions and annual compensation for security employees.
Ben Mendes defended the integration of security forces and actions focused on combating criminal organizations as one of the ways to protect women.
Highways, tolls and metropolitan transport
Infrastructure was another recurring theme, especially because of complaints about the conditions of state highways and tolls.
The Metropolitan Rodoanel project was one of the main points of divergence. In public transport, candidates presented proposals for tariff integration, expansion of metropolitan lines and incentives for rail transport.
Mateus Simões defended the execution of the Rodoanel work and the integration of metropolitan transport with the subway. He also proposed a free pass for students during the week and zero fares on Sundays in Greater BH.
Flávio Roscoe also supported the construction of the Rodoanel, arguing that the work could reduce traffic on the Belo Horizonte Ring Road. He also proposed expanding metropolitan transport schedules outside of peak periods and reserving resources for road works in regions such as Norte de Minas, Jequitinhonha and Mucuri.
Alexandre Kalil defended redirecting the resources planned for the Rodoanel towards a permanent maintenance program for state highways. It also proposed strengthening the supervision of concession contracts and reorganizing metropolitan bus lines through an integrated network.
The discussion about tolls and taxes on vehicles was one of Cleitinho Azevedo's main concerns. The candidate proposed preventing the seizure of vehicles in traffic stops due to non-payment of IPVA, reducing the tax rate and reviewing road concession contracts.
Gabriel defended the creation of a single integrated ticketing system between metropolitan buses and the subway. The candidate also proposed reactivating regional railway lines to transport cargo and passengers and creating permanent maintenance contracts for state highways.
Patrus Ananias presented proposals aimed at resuming rail transport of passengers and cargo in partnership with the federal government, in addition to the creation of intermodal terminals and the expansion of the capital's metro.
Indira Xavier proposed the creation of a public company to operate public transport.
Rafael Duda defended free public transport and the re-nationalization of services considered strategic, stating that zero fares should be financed by the public authorities.
Professor Túlio Lopes also defended the expansion of state participation in transport and the adoption of free tickets as a public policy.
Ben Mendes presented proposals aimed at expanding rail transport in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, encouraging competition between operators and expanding investments in infrastructure and logistics.
Henrique Areas positioned himself in favor of the renationalization of privatized companies and greater state control over strategic sectors of the economy, including areas linked to infrastructure.
Full-time education and appreciation of teachers
Education was among the most recurring themes of the campaign, with proposals aimed at expanding full-time education, valuing professionals in the state network and improving learning results.
Mateus Simões highlighted the expansion of the Trilhas de Futuro program, the expansion of technical courses, reinforcement actions in Portuguese and mathematics and investments in school infrastructure, including air conditioning and renovations.
Alexandre Kalil proposed expanding comprehensive education with activities developed in partnership with universities, social entities and local companies. The candidate also defended active search actions to reduce school dropouts and the expansion of the offer of daycare centers.
Cleitinho Azevedo defended the annual adjustment of teachers' salaries based on inflation, the choice of a Secretary of Education with a career in teaching and the expansion of full-time education.
Flávio Roscoe proposed the creation of regional daycare centers, school transport adapted for babies and the expansion of methodologies inspired by the Industrial Social Service (Sesi) model, with the use of robotics and digital tools in state schools.
Gabriel defended changes to school progression criteria, proposing the end of automatic approval for students who do not reach the expected learning levels. The candidate also presented proposals to expand comprehensive education and include content such as financial education, entrepreneurship and citizenship.
Patrus Ananias focused his proposals on valuing education professionals, defending the payment of the national teaching minimum, the holding of public competitions to reduce temporary hiring and the gradual expansion of full-time teaching.
Among candidates from parties with less representation, the proposals focused on strengthening the public education network. Professor Túlio Lopes defended the expansion of technical schools and the implementation of a full-time polytechnic education model.
Rafael Duda proposed expanding investments in
