On Friday night, the far-right leader rode a horse holding a cowboy hat in his outstretched hand and greeted supporters draped in Brazilian flags while playing his campaign jingle, “The People’s Captain.” He joked with them and together they prayed for the future of the country. All the major polls show Bolsonaro trailing well behind former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, but no one would have known that from the scene at the rodeo in the municipality of Barrettos, in the state of Sao Paulo. “This event is already part of our history. Moved by agribusiness, by the work of rural men and women, Brazil is on the world stage,” Bolsonaro told the crowd, which chanted the word “legend” in reference to him. “Our motto is God, country, family and freedom. Uh-hoo!” The multi-day spectacle drew tens of thousands of mostly white and middle-class attendees. Many came out decked out in the national colors of green and canary yellow that Bolsonaro has transformed into symbols of support for his government. The packed arena roared when Bolsonaro was introduced to DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s song “Turn Down for What,” which his supporters have used in hundreds of videos to portray him as a provocateur. Outside, a vendor sold towels with the faces of Bolsonaro and da Silva of the leftist Labor Party and displayed a table showing how many of each candidate had been bought. He had hardly sold any of da Silva’s features, and those in attendance took this as a sign that their candidate would win the vote. Elsewhere in Brazil, such towel sales scoreboards point in the opposite direction. Despite da Silva’s lead in the polls, a dozen farmers, ranchers and rodeo fans in Barreto told The Associated Press that Bolsonaro doesn’t need to appeal to many moderate voters, something da Silva is openly trying to do — mostly by choosing the center-right. rival who became vice president. “The last time the polls didn’t show that Bolsonaro was going to win,” said Walter Silveira, 57, who owns a small farm. ”This year will be the same. I see him going everywhere. Lula doesn’t. How can Bolsonaro be left behind?” Wearing a Brazilian flag as a scarf, businessman Daniel Tales, 43, said he felt his mustache tingle after seeing Bolsonaro in person. The proud cowboy from neighboring Minas Gerais state said he believed his candidate would need a runoff against da Silva to secure a second term. “But nothing needs to change. He doesn’t need to do anything more or anything less,” Tales said. “He has a strong personality, he is the man of the moment, he came to make a revolution.” Asked how Bolsonaro could win over undecided voters, he replied: “He has to be himself. That’s all.” Four years ago, Bolsonaro won nearly 74% of the vote in Barreto in a runoff vote over Fernando Haddad, the Labor Party’s candidate after da Silva was declared ineligible. The President gets a lot of love in the region for proclaiming conservative values and standing up for farmers, as well as for creating a National Rodeo Day in 2020 and relaxing regulations on such events in Brazil. Friday wasn’t his first time at the Barretos rodeo. he came in 2019 as president and three other times during his legislative career to help his son’s bid for Congress. This time, Bolsonaro brought with him cabinet ministers, politicians running for office and some business leaders whose assets were searched by police earlier this week for their alleged participation in a private chat group that included comments in favor of a potential coup and military meddling in politics. One of them, Luciano Hang, wore his usual yellow shirt and green pants and did his best to stir up the crowd. Bolsonaro and his allies often jibe at the polls, sometimes saying the president won’t just win the election, but do so in the first round without the need for a runoff. They say a more accurate way to gauge the upcoming outcome is to track attendance at Bolsonaro’s rallies. Bolsonaro supporters who spoke to the AP said they are ready to heed his call and take to the streets for Independence Day on Sept. 7. Some politicians and analysts have expressed concern that it could turn violent. “We’ll see you out on Independence Day,” said Emcee Cuiabano Lima as Bolsonaro left the rodeo arena. Lima also said da Silva is a thief who belongs in prison and the crowd roared in agreement. Da Silva, who ruled from 2003 to 2010 and is known worldwide as Lula, was barred from running in 2018 after being jailed on corruption and money laundering convictions, which the Supreme Court later overturned on the grounds that the judge of the case had been biased. This paved the way for him to run in 2022. Silvana Cunha, 47, worries about the possibility of da Silva returning to power. She works with cattle farmers and says Bolsonaro has improved her life because of higher beef prices during his administration. Although he believes he will win in October, he acknowledged the challenges he faces. “It took time to get everything organized the way he wanted,” said Cunha, a devout Catholic who has attended the Barretos rodeo for years. “Whoever wins, it will be very difficult. We will need a strong hand. It is a huge task to get the country back on track after this pandemic. We have to be very careful. Either we will have regression or progress.”
