Jorginho Mello (PL) was re-elected governor of Santa Catarina this Sunday (4). At 7:13 pm, with 81.63% of the sections counted, the candidate had 68.32% of the valid votes, according to the Superior Electoral Court (TSE). The elected vice-governor is Adriano Silva (NEW).
At 70 years old, Jorginho appeared in first place and as favorite to win in all Quaest polls commissioned by NSC TV.
How was the campaign?
During the election campaign, he chose to tell his own family's story in the first program. Over time, he focused on poll numbers, government achievements and rebutting criticisms made by other candidates.
Personally aligned with the Bolsonaro family, he supported the former president and Flávio Bolsonaro (PL), who is running for office this year.
Jorginho's political articulation brought two of the former president's sons to run in the state: Carlos Bolsonaro for the Senate and Jair Renan for federal deputy.
Jorginho was the main target of the other government candidates and throughout the campaign he faced attacks on points related to public security, such as violence against women and the investigation into the death of the dog Orelha, and the business relationship and his children's assets.
Jorginho Mello, candidate for the government of SC, voted for Herval D'Oeste — Photo: Mateus Barreto/NSC TV
Profile of the elected governor
Jorginho dos Santos Mello was born in Ibicaré, in the west of Santa Catarina. He has a degree in social studies from the University of the West of Santa Catarina (Unoesc) and administration and law from the University of the South of Santa Catarina (Unisul).
Political trajectory
He began his political life at the age of 18, when he was elected councilor in Herval D'Oeste, a city in the west of Santa Catarina, by the National Renewal Alliance (Arena)
For the Liberal Party (PL), he was elected state deputy in the Legislative Assembly of Santa Catarina (Alesc) and took office in the 13th Legislature (1995-1999)
He was re-elected state deputy by the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), in the 1999-2003 legislature.
He was re-elected state deputy by the PSDB twice more, in the 2003-2007 and 2007-2011 legislatures.
He was president of Alesc between February 2009 and January 2010
As he was president of Alesc, he became interim governor of Santa Catarina between October 9 and 20, 2009
He was elected federal deputy for the PSDB in the 2011-2015 legislature
He was re-elected federal deputy by the Republic Party (PR) in the 2015-2019 legislature
He was elected senator for PR, currently PL, in the 2019-2023 legislature
He was elected governor of Santa Catarina in the 2022 elections
How was the first term
Jorginho Mello's first term was marked by projects and discussions such as:
Free University Program: in which the government buys places in the private network and allocates them to vulnerable students who meet social and income criteria. It was the target of controversy and 43 students were indicted for ideological falsehood based on suspected fraud in the documentation for entry into a similar program, the Santa Catarina Higher Education Maintenance and Development Support Fund (Fumdesc).
End of the use of body cameras by military police officers: in September 2024, the Military Police of Santa Catarina announced the end of the use of body cameras by the corporation. They had started to be used in 2019 and the state was a pioneer in the project. At the time, the PM cited the lack of maintenance by the company that supplied the equipment, little available storage and instability in their activation defined the measure. A court decision in May this year determined the return of the program and gave the state government 90 days to present a detailed reimplantation plan and 180 days to create a specific plan to reduce police lethality in Santa Catarina. The state recorded 92 deaths caused by military police in 2025, the highest number since 2019 and the first full year without officers using body cameras.
Expansion of SC-401 in Florianópolis: the work began in March 2025, with the aim of adding a third lane to the highway, which is the one with the highest average traffic in Santa Catarina. Some excerpts are already ready. The work was expected to be completed in 1 and a half years, but that did not happen. An amendment was made to the contract with the company Vogelsanger and work is now expected to end in February 2027.
Death of the dog Orelha: the community dog known as Orelha lived in Praia Brava, in Florianópolis, and died in January this year. There were suspicions that the dog may have been attacked and the case was investigated by the Civil Police. During the investigations, Jorginho Mello said on social media that "the evidence is already in the process and it made my stomach turn." The Civil Police indicted a teenager for an infraction similar to ill-treatment. However, the Public Ministry of Santa Catarina (MPSC) concluded that there was no evidence and the Judiciary closed the case. During the NSC debate, Jorginho was questioned about the publication on the social network in which he spoke about evidence of the case. The politician responded that the statement was based after seeing news of what happened during breakfast. He reiterated the action of the Civil Police and pointed out that it was the Public Ministry that requested the archiving.
Prohibition of the adoption of racial quotas in public universities in the state: the project was authored by Alesc and was sanctioned by the state government in January this year. Unanimously, the Federal Superior Court (STF) ruled the law unconstitutional.
Expansion of civic-military schools: in 2024, the Escola de Educação Básica (EEB) São José de Herval D'Oeste was militarized. Other civic-military schools that emerged during Jorginho Mello's government include EEB Professora Neusa Ostetto Cardoso, in Araranguá, in the South; EEB Walmor Ribeiro, in Ibirama, in the Itajaí Valley; EEB Sólon Rosa, in Curitibanos, in the West; EEB Francisco de Paula Seara, in Itajaí, on the North Coast; EEB Professor Maria Paula Feres, in Mafra, in the North.
Swearing at indigenous people at a dam: Jorginho was filmed swearing at indigenous people who were protesting at the dam in the city of José Boiteux, in the Itajaí Valley, which passes through a construction site and is within the territory of the Xokleng people. The episode occurred in July during the official schedule and was recorded on video.
Regional aviation: the VOA + SC program is focused on regional aircraft and will connect 10 cities in the state in an air network. Everything comes into effect from November 3rd. The trips will be made by Azul airline. Tickets will cost between R$315 and R$815 and go on sale on September 28th.
Context of the election in the region
Just like in the 2022 election, Jorginho Mello was once again an ally of the Bolsonaro family. In fact, the convention that launched him as a candidate this year was attended by Flávio.
In this year's election, Jorginho is in the coalition called "Fé no Trabalho e Pé na Tábua" which, in addition to the PL, included Podemos, Republicans, Christian Democracy (DC), Agir, Avante, the PSDB/Cidadania Federation, in addition to Novo, which nominated the former mayor of Joinville Adriano Silva as vice-president.
In 2022, Jorginho went to the second round with the PT candidate, Décio Lima. The politician won with 70.69% of valid votes against 29.31% for the PT member.
