Who is Michelle Bolsonaro?
Michelle Bolsonaro was First Lady of Brazil from 2019 to 2022, during Jair Bolsonaro's presidency, and later led PL Mulher, the Liberal Party's women's wing. She left that post on 30 June 2026 after a public dispute with her stepson, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the party's presidential candidate. The PL named her as its candidate for the Senate in the Federal District on 2 August 2026. She was elected on 4 October 2026 with 938,496 votes, or 29.05 percent, alongside her party colleague Bia Kicis, for terms from 2027 to 2035. This is her first elected office.
Previously: President of PL Mulher, the PL women's wing (left the post on 30 June 2026) · First Lady of Brazil (2019-2022)
Documented positions
- Said in March 2024 that women must "macetar", or fight, the legalization of abortion, the legalization of drugs and what she called "gender ideology".Source: gazetadopovo.com.br
- Her August 2026 campaign letter framed the race as a way to restore hope, security, freedom and a future, and to continue work done during Jair Bolsonaro's government.Source: congressoemfoco.com.br
- Named people with disabilities, rare diseases, mothers of children with atypical development and vulnerable families as campaign priorities.Source: congressoemfoco.com.br
- Backed Flávio Bolsonaro's presidential bid and the re-election of Governor Celina Leão in the Federal District, after public friction with Flávio over party alliances.Source: congressoemfoco.com.br
- Left the PL Mulher presidency on 30 June 2026, saying she would devote herself to caring for her husband and daughter, after a video in which she said Flávio had disrespected her over the party's alliance in Ceará.Source: midiamax.com.br
- In 2022, while First Lady, she campaigned for Damares Alves for the Senate in the Federal District, against the Bolsonaro-backed PL slate.Source: congressoemfoco.com.br
- Won one of the two Federal District Senate seats on 4 October 2026, with 938,496 votes, ahead of Senator Leila Barros (PDT) and Representative Erika Kokay (PT).Source: congressoemfoco.com.br
Record
She has not held elected office before, so there are no legislative votes to review. As First Lady she was a public figure in her husband's government, and she later led PL Mulher, whose work Party President Valdemar Costa Neto praised when she stepped down. Her March 2024 remarks on abortion, drugs and gender were reported in the national press at the time.
Supporters see in her a voice for conservative families and for people with disabilities. Critics, including defenders of legal abortion access, object to the language of her 2024 speech and to the line it drew against reproductive and gender rights. Her campaign was also marked by a public split with Flávio Bolsonaro, resolved before the convention.
