Otaviano Pivetta is re-elected governor of Mato Grosso in the first round with more than 1 million votes

Before being re-elected, Otaviano Pivetta (Republicans) assumed the position of governor of Mato Grosso after the resignation of Mauro Mendes, for whom he was vice-governor for two terms. Businessman and farmer, he was a state deputy and mayor of Lucas do Rio Verde. This was the first time he ran for Government of Mato Grosso as a candidate.

Throughout the campaign Natasha, Pivetta and Wellington were involved in the main clashes between the candidates for the government of Mato Grosso. The exchanges of criticism appeared both during election hours and during debates, with discussions about public management and topics linked to the opponents' trajectory.

In the last debate held by TV Centro América on Tuesday (29), the three candidates discussed topics such as the prison system, housing, health, public safety and civil servants. The meeting was also marked by accusations between the competitors.

One of the most confrontational moments occurred when Natasha questioned Pivetta about an alleged attack against his then partner. Pivetta stated that he had been cleared and criticized the approach to the matter during the debate. In the response, he cited government actions aimed at combating violence against women.

The same issue led the Regional Electoral Court of Mato Grosso (TRE-MT) to determine, until the end of the campaign, the suspension of Natasha's electoral program. Another axis of confrontation was the policy of tax incentives. Wellington Fagundes and Pivetta exchanged criticisms about benefits granted to companies linked to the two candidates.

The senator stated, in public speeches and electoral pieces, that companies linked to Pivetta would have received around R$500 million in tax incentives. Pivetta, in turn, questioned his opponent about tax benefits received by a company that was linked to the senator's son. The topic also appeared in the last debate and continued to reverberate in the media and campaigns.

The election for the government of Mato Grosso in 2026 was decided in the first round, without any changes occurring during the count and without the need for a second vote. Otaviano Pivetta secured victory by surpassing the barrier of 50% of valid votes, surpassing the one million vote mark and consolidating a wide advantage over other competitors in the state.

One of the main milestones of the campaign was the institutional position with which Pivetta entered the dispute: he ran while serving as governor, having taken over as head of Palácio Paiaguás months earlier, after the resignation of Mauro Mendes to make his candidacy for the Federal Senate viable.

Benefiting from the continuity of management and a solid government alliance, Pivetta faced five other candidates, with the strongest opponents being senator Wellington Fagundes (PL) and doctor Natasha Slhessarenko (PSD), in addition to names launched by Mobilização Nacional, Agir and Partido Missão.