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On Sunday, Oct 2nd, Brazilians will cast their first-round vote in the presidential election. While there are a number of candidates, their primary choices will be between first-term incumbent conservative, right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro and former left-wing president Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva – known affectionately as Lula. Unlike the trend we’ve been seeing the world over, but particularly in Europe and the United States recently, the left is doing particularly well in Brazil, representing a potential fatigue with the far-right, nationalist policies of the Bolsonaro administration, which oversaw the unprecedented destruction of huge swaths of the Amazon, inequitable treatment (almost disdain) for indigenous peoples and their autonomy, a massive death toll attributed to the country’s weak response to Covid, and personal investigations into the Bolsonaro family’s business dealings.   

As of right now, at the time of the recording of this episode, Sep 26th, polls lead us to believe that the left has reason to be optimistic, with Lula leading Bolsonaro – in some cases, pretty significantly. But, the polls are tightening somewhat, and Bolsonaro has been laying the groundwork for a contested outcome, taking a page out of the Trump playbook, suggesting that the election will be rigged and that he may not accept the outcome.

Today I’m talking to Dr. Robert Vidigal out of the Center for Social Media and Politics at New York University. Dr. Vidigal’s research focuses on how social and cognitive motivations influence political behavior and knowledge, and he is an expert on Brazilian politics. His work has appeared in numerous journals and books in both the United States and Brazil. 

Dr. Vidigal and I talk about the authoritarian tendency, how we measure it in people, and how we might better measure it. And, we also talk about the upcoming election in Brazil, what influences voters, if Bolsonaro might contest the election, and what might happen if he does. 

Mentioned:
 The Other Divide - Yanna Krupnikov and John Barry Ryan
How to Become a Tyrant

Recommended:
Authoritarianism and Right-Wing Voting in Brazil - Robert Vidigal
Affirmative Action Attitudes of Whites: Evidence from a List Experiment Survey in Brazil - Robert Vidigal
 

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