A report published in this week’s edition of VEJA shows the importance of so-called vote pullers for parties. The subtitles compete for the pass of celebrities, artists, athletes and influencers as a way to increase their seats in Congress or in the Legislative Assemblies. Recently, Lula, who leads the presidential race, worked hard to try to convince Jacira Santana to run for a seat in the Chamber of Deputies.
Jacira is the mother of economist Gilberto José Nogueira Junior, who became nationally known as Gil do Vigor, after participating in the reality show Big Brother Brasil. The ex-president was three times with the ex-BBB’s mother. The last meeting was last month. She says that she joined the PT in 2002, stayed out of the party for a while and then joined again, but decided that it is not yet the time to enter politics. “I’ll prepare myself better,” she says.
The invitation is part of Lula’s and PT’s strategy to expand the party’s bench in Pernambuco, taking advantage of the fame gained by the former BBB. “Lula encouraged me, Janja too”, reveals Jacira. “Jana, by the way, was going to be my electoral corporal”. Even a “campaign name” had already been chosen for her: “Mainha Vigorosa”.
Jacira says that the fact that this could affect the financial life of her son, who is studying in the United States, also weighed in her decision to postpone her candidacy. Gil do Vigor has advertising contracts that prevent him from participating in political campaigns. If it only depended on the will of politicians, mother and son would be on the platform. The former BBB was invited to be a candidate for vice governor of Pernambuco on the ticket of Marília Arraes (Solidariedade). He also refused.
