José Matheus Santos
Recife, PE (Folhapress)
The new Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho (Republicans), is seen as a potential candidate for the Senate in Pernambuco in the 2026 elections.
In the state’s political chess, his arrival at Esplanada also represented a strengthening of the mayor of Recife, João Campos (PSB), who is tipped, if re-elected in 2024, to run for government in 2026 against tucana Raquel Lyra, who should try for re-election.
Costa Filho, 41, arrived at the Chamber of Deputies in 2019, after having been a councilor in Recife for one term and a state deputy three times. After just over four years in Brasília, he became Lula’s minister.
In his first term as federal deputy, Costa Filho became close to João Campos, at the time his colleague in the Chamber. They became friends and sealed a political alliance.
In 2020, the Republicans, led in Pernambuco by the current minister, supported the election of João Campos as mayor. In the second round of that campaign, Costa Filho was one of the few allies who were at the forefront of the candidacy. With the fierce dispute with the then PT candidate Marília Arraes, several politicians played a double game.
João Campos publicly recognizes Costa Filho’s loyalty in times of difficulty, which is seen as an asset in the minister’s favor in securing a place in the 2026 majority dispute in the state. Regarding the election, however, the mayor has been discreet, saying that he is focused on the management of Recife and that the campaign is far away.
In local articulations aiming for 2026, Raquel Lyra recently strengthened herself by attracting the PSD to her base, causing the party to leave Campos’ circle of allies in the capital of Pernambuco.
Costa Filho’s proximity to João Campos alleviated the PSB’s upset, which saw the former governor of São Paulo Márcio França leave the Ports and Airports portfolio for a less visible position, the Ministry of Entrepreneurship, Microenterprise and Enterprise Small Size.
In political circles, João Campos and Silvio Costa Filho are seen as working together. The two tried to appoint the new head of the state-owned Codevasf (Companhia de Desenvolvimento dos Vales do São Francisco e do Parnaíba) in Pernambuco, which generated noise with the PT, which was dissatisfied with the duo.
Tempers were only calmed after the creation of a superintendency of the federal state-owned company in Recife, whose appointment was shared between João Campos and Costa Filho, while the company’s traditional headquarters in the interior of the state, in Petrolina, came under the responsibility of the PT.
Both are close to the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira (PP-AL). Lula’s new minister has supported the man from Alagoas since the first dispute for command of the Chamber, in 2021, when the PT formally supported the candidacy of deputy Baleia Rossi (MDB-SP).
Being a candidate for the Senate has been one of Costa Filho’s goals for a few years now. However, allies and party colleagues believe that there was a lack of a great showcase to make a possible candidacy viable. Now, the passport to the dispute may depend on the performance at the head of Ports and Airports.
The 2026 election will have two Senate seats per state. Another Lula ally considered is Humberto Costa (PT), who may seek re-election, but has signaled that he wants to run for government.
Costa Filho’s move to the ministry was initially viewed with reservations by Raquel Lyra’s allies. The initial reading in the state administration was that his arrival at Esplanada would mean an ally of João Campos with more power.
Publicly, the governor waved to the new minister and attended the position handover ceremony. The two promised to work together for more investments for the state, such as the advancement of regional aviation and the qualification of airports in the interior. The state government also seeks to strengthen the Port of Suape, in Greater Recife.
Among the governor’s allies, the Minister of Fisheries of the Lula government, André de Paula (PSD), the former mayor of Jaboatão dos Guararapes Anderson Ferreira (PL), the federal deputy Eduardo da Fonte (PP) and the senator Fernando Dueire (MDB), who took office after the resignation of Jarbas Vasconcelos.
The PT seeks to break the current polarization between the groups of Raquel Lyra and João Campos. Senator Humberto Costa expressed the party’s intention to strengthen itself in the state to be competitive in the race for government in 2026. The PT members believe they have more strength than the PSB to lead a ticket, after the Pessebista defeat in the 2022 election.
Silvio Costa Filho’s father, former deputy Silvio Costa (Republicans), is Senator Teresa Leitão’s (PT) first substitute. He had hopes that the parliamentarian would be appointed to a Lula ministry at the beginning of the government, which would allow him to serve as senator, but this scenario was not even considered.
Silvio Costa became known for defending the then president Dilma Rousseff (PT) in the impeachment process in 2016, when he was deputy leader of the government in the Chamber and became one of the main enemies of the then president of the Chamber, Eduardo Cunha, who opened the case against the PT member in the House.
If Silvio Costa Filho is a candidate for the Senate, there is a possibility that his father will run for a place to return to the Chamber.
The post New Lula minister opens Senate race in PE and strengthens João Campos appeared first in Jornal de Brasília.
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