Renan Santos Picks Aroldo Medina as His Running Mate

Overview

• Renan Santos announced Aroldo Medina as his pre-candidate for vice after an event in Caxias do Sul on Wednesday, July 1, and confirmed the choice at a July 3 press appearance in São Paulo.
• Aroldo Medina is a 62-year-old retired tenente-coronel of the Brigada Militar and a journalist who emphasizes tougher crime measures, stronger border controls, and greater transparency to fight corruption.
• The campaign presents the pairing as a 'chapa pura' kept inside Missão to preserve the party's project and to broaden appeal to older and security-minded voters while relying on social media and debates rather than free TV time.
• Reporting has raised scrutiny of Medina's post-2022 activity after videos and posts showed him visiting the prolonged encampment in front of the Army HQ in Brasília and praising demonstrators, a development the campaign must manage before formal homologation.
• The party plans to formalize the ticket at Missão's national convention on August 1 and then register candidates with the Electoral Justice by the August 15 deadline as Santos seeks to move up from low single-digit poll standings.