The results of the Brazilian presidential election are mostly in, with 99.8 percent of the votes recorded, and it's good news, for now: The candidate who is looking to Make Brazil Great Again, Flávio Bolsonaro, has forced a runoff with the sitting president who is seeking reelection, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The runoff election to decide the presidency will happen on October 25th.
The numbers right now are leaning towards Bolsonaro. Furthermore, Bolsonaro has two key allies: U.S. President Donald Trump and Argentina's President Javier Milei.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, and Brazil’s incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will face off in a runoff Oct. 25 for the top job of Latin America’s powerhouse economy after neither won a majority in Sunday’s vote.
The country’s electoral court in Brasilia said neither the 80-year-old incumbent, seeking his fourth non-consecutive term, nor the 45-year-old son of former President Jair Bolsonaro would garner the majority vote needed for an outright win.
That's accurate, but heading into the runoff, it appears that one would be much more comfortable in Bolsonaro's shoes than in Lula's; although the margin is still close.
The court had Bolsonaro with just over 56 million votes to Lula’s 53.7 million, with 99.8 percent of the vote reported. The next presidential term is set to begin Jan. 5.
The winner will be in charge of Latin America’s biggest economy and a population of 214 million. A win for Bolsonaro would increase U.S. influence in Latin America. If Lula wins, Brazil will keep its distance from Washington and continue to deepen its relationship with China.
Those are high stakes. The South American continent has shown a distinct rightward trend in recent years, which has been encouraged by the Trump administration and by the president personally. Brazil is a key player in South America, with the largest economy on that continent, with over half of South America's GDP; Brazil's economy is estimated as $2.64 trillion in 2026, compared to second-place Argentina's $2.64 billion. That economy rests largely on agriculture (coffee, oranges, sugar) and mining (iron ore, gold.)
Whoever wins on October 25th will be overseeing the largest economy and the most influential nation in South America, and Senor Bolsonaro is a Trump ally. That's an auspicious outcome for Brazil and, we hope, for our own 2026 elections.
Argentina's liberty-minded president wasted no time tendering his congratulations.
LA LIBERTAD AVANZA EN BRASIL Felicitaciones querido amigo @FlavioBolsonaro, por esta histórica elección ante el comunista de Lula. El continente americano es de ciudadanos que quieren vivir en libertad. Espero que pronto podamos empezar a trabajar juntos para que la Argentina y Brasil sigan siendo grandes socios comerciales, culturales y políticos. Las oportunidades para nuestras naciones, trabajando juntos, son infinitas. VIVA LA LIBERTAD CARAJO...!!
— Javier Milei (@JMilei) October 5, 2026
This X post reads:
FREEDOM ADVANCES IN BRAZIL
Congratulations, dear friend @FlavioBolsonaro, on this historic election against the communist Lula.
The American continent belongs to citizens who want to live in freedom.
I hope that soon we can start working together so that Argentina and Brazil continue to be great trading, cultural, and political partners. The opportunities for our nations, working together, are infinite.
LONG LIVE FREEDOM, DAMN IT...!!
Indeed.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
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