Brazil’s last general election, in 2018, wasn’t great for incumbent governors seeking re-election. Four years ago, only half of the 20 candidates seeking another term succeeded. This year, in contrast, the country’s strong incumbency bias prevailed: 19 of the 27 sitting governors were up for re-election, and 12 were successful in the first round on Sunday — a record number in the country.
A further five have made it to the runoff, which will be held on October 30. It would only take two of them winning to top the previous record re-election success rate of around 70 percent, seen…