Ronaldo Caiado, presidential candidate for the PSD, campaigns in Goiás

Ronaldo Caiado, presidential candidate for the PSD, campaigns in Goiás — Photo: Jornal Nacional/ Reproduction

Presidential candidate Ronaldo Caiado (PSD), 77 years old, is trying to win the post for the second time, after running in 1989.

Married to Gracinha Caiado, candidate for the Senate from Goiás, the orthopedic doctor and rural producer is the father of four children – one of them, Ronaldo Ramos Caiado Filho, died at the age of 40 in 2022.

The pre-candidacy had been launched in 2025, when it was still in União Brasil. Caiado left the party to join the PSD after the party announced the formation of the Progressistas party federation. The federation chose not to launch or support candidates in this year's presidential election.

First attempt in 1989

In his first attempt to reach the Palácio do Planalto, in 1989, Caiado finished the campaign in 10th place, receiving just over 488 thousand votes, 0.72% of the total election.

Ronaldo Caiado during the electoral debate in the 1989 campaign — Photo: Renato dos Anjos

Caiado represented Goiás in the Chamber of Deputies for five terms and was a senator for one term, having been an active voice in defending agribusiness within Congress.

The beginning of his political life was precisely in agriculture, having been one of the founders of the União Democrática Ruralista (UDR), an entity created to represent rural landowners during discussions on agrarian reform.

Caiado was also governor of the State for two consecutive terms, elected in 2018 and 2022.

Ronaldo Caiado (UB) during the inauguration for the second term of the Government of Goiás — Photo: Bianca Kida

During the presidential campaign, Caiado sought to present himself as a third way capable of breaking the polarization between supporters of the PT and the Bolsonaro family.

The strategy, however, did not show promising results in electoral polls, failing to register two digits of voting intentions in any of them.