The PSD will have a presidential candidate, and I hope it is Eduardo Leite
In the shifting currents of Brazilian electoral politics, a party leader's public declaration of preference can itself become an act of persuasion. In mid-March 2022, PSD national president Gilberto Kassab stood before a Rio de Janeiro gathering and named Eduardo Leite — governor of Rio Grande do Sul and recent casualty of a PSDB primary — as his desired presidential candidate for October's election. The gesture was at once an expression of faith and a strategic invitation, reminding Leite that defeat in one house need not mean the end of a larger ambition.
- With Brazil's 2022 election cycle entering its decisive phase, parties are racing to secure credible presidential candidates before the window closes.
- Kassab's public courtship of Leite carries an edge of urgency — the PSD is staking its presidential ambitions on a man who has not yet said yes.
- Leite's recent loss to João Dória in the PSDB primary created a political opening that Kassab moved quickly to exploit, making his appeal before a Rio de Janeiro enrollment ceremony.
- The governor remains silent on his intentions, leaving the question unresolved: another term in Rio Grande do Sul, or a leap to the national stage?
- Kassab's declaration functions as both a signal of confidence and a form of gentle pressure, making the PSD's offer impossible for Leite — or the public — to ignore.
On a Sunday in mid-March, PSD national president Gilberto Kassab used a party enrollment ceremony in Rio de Janeiro to deliver a message that extended well beyond the occasion. While welcoming lawyer Felipe Santa Cruz as a candidate for Rio's governorship, Kassab made his presidential preference plain: he wanted Eduardo Leite, governor of Rio Grande do Sul, to carry the PSD's banner into October's election. "The PSD will have a presidential candidate, and I hope it is Eduardo Leite," he said.
Leite was not in the room to hear it. He belongs to the PSDB and had recently lost that party's primary to São Paulo Governor João Dória — a defeat that closed one door but, in Kassab's reading, opened another. The PSD leader was making a public play for Leite's allegiance, signaling that a viable presidential path existed outside his current party.
What remained unresolved was Leite's own decision. The governor had yet to announce whether he would seek reelection in Rio Grande do Sul or pursue the presidency. That pending choice would carry real weight for the shape of the race. Kassab's declaration was designed to influence it — a statement of confidence that was also, unmistakably, an act of pressure.
On a Sunday in mid-March, Gilberto Kassab, who leads the PSD party at the national level, stood before a gathering in Rio de Janeiro and made his preference clear: he wanted Eduardo Leite, the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, to carry the party's banner into the October presidential election. The occasion was a party enrollment ceremony for Felipe Santa Cruz, a lawyer and former head of Brazil's bar association, who was positioning himself as a candidate for Rio's governorship. But Kassab's remarks reached beyond the immediate event. "The PSD will have a presidential candidate, and I hope it is Eduardo Leite," he said.
The courtship was already underway, though Leite himself was not present to hear it. The governor belongs to the PSDB, a separate party, and had recently lost that party's primary contest to João Dória, the governor of São Paulo. That loss might have closed one door, but it appeared to open another. Kassab, sensing an opportunity, was making a public play for Leite's allegiance and his candidacy. The signal was unmistakable: the PSD saw in Leite a viable presidential option and was willing to pursue him.
Kassab's remarks during the Rio ceremony were brief on this subject, even as he spent more time praising Santa Cruz and Eduardo Paes, the Rio mayor who serves as the PSD's state president. But the core message landed. The party was serious about fielding a presidential candidate, and Kassab had already decided whom he preferred. What remained uncertain was whether Leite would accept the invitation. The governor had not yet announced his intentions—whether he would seek another term in Rio Grande do Sul or take the leap to the national stage. That decision, still pending, would shape the trajectory of the race.
The timing mattered. Brazil's 2022 election cycle was entering its decisive phase, and parties were locking in their choices. Kassab's public declaration was both an expression of hope and a form of pressure, a way of signaling to Leite that a path existed outside the PSDB, that another major party saw him as presidential material. Whether Leite would ultimately accept remained to be seen, but Kassab had made the PSD's position unmistakable.
Notable Quotes
The PSD will have a presidential candidate, and I hope it is Eduardo Leite— Gilberto Kassab, PSD national president
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why would Kassab make this statement publicly if Leite hadn't already agreed to run?
Because the courtship was still active. Leite had just lost the PSDB primary—he was available, but not yet committed. A public declaration like this serves multiple purposes: it signals to Leite that the PSD is serious, it tells the party faithful what leadership wants, and it puts pressure on Leite to decide.
But Leite belongs to the PSDB. Can he just switch parties and run for president?
Yes. Party switching is common in Brazilian politics. The PSDB primary loss made him a free agent of sorts. Kassab was essentially saying: you don't need to stay with a party that rejected you in their primary.
What does the PSD gain from Leite specifically?
A credible candidate from the South with executive experience as a governor. Leite had governed Rio Grande do Sul and had a regional base. For a party trying to mount a serious presidential campaign, that matters.
And what does Leite gain?
An alternative path to the presidency. The PSDB had chosen Dória. If Leite wanted to run nationally, the PSD was offering him that opportunity without the baggage of a primary loss.
So this is really about Leite's next move being uncertain?
Exactly. Kassab is trying to shape that move before Leite decides. The public statement is part of the persuasion.