Since the Supreme Court quashed convictions against former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and made him eligible for office once more, the Brazilian center-right sought to portray itself as a third way between Lula and far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. Polls showed that the duo’s rejection rates eclipsed those of all other candidates — which, in their mind, was proof that voters were eager for a different alternative.
But all would-be third-way candidates polled pedestrian numbers. Some even ranked behind André Janones, a once-unknown member of Congress who gained some level of fame during the 2018 truckers’ strike.
Without any…