Overview
- Bolsonaro dismissed campaign chief Marcello Lopes on Thursday, a move party leaders pushed for to try to contain a fast-growing scandal.
- A leaked audio in which Bolsonaro sought millions from banker Daniel Vorcaro to finance a film about Jair Bolsonaro intensified scrutiny and coincided with a drop in approval in recent polls.
- Marcello Lopes previously worked for Vorcaro in 2025 and led influencer-driven attacks on Brazil’s central bank while Banco Master was under investigation, tying the campaign to the financier’s network.
- The PL is negotiating to appoint consultant Eduardo Fischer as campaign chief but he has not yet accepted, while party president Valdemar da Costa Neto says he is concerned but has not declared the candidacy nonviable.
- The broader fallout includes Vorcaro’s detention after Banco Master’s liquidation over roughly $7 billion in debts, rising talk of alternative conservative candidates, and a compressed window for Bolsonaro to repair damage before the October 4 election.