Brazilian lawmaker Andre Janones: The strategist behind Lula's social media victory

Brazilian lawmaker Andre Janones, credited as the architect of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's online campaign, was praised by Lula as "our general" in his victory speech after winning Brazil's runoff election with 51.8 percent of the vote. Janones, 42, managed Lula's social media strategy, expanding his "Lula's Army" WhatsApp channel from 60,000 to nearly 11 million followers between the first round and the runoff, helping overturn Flavio Bolsonaro's initial lead—a feat not achieved since 1989. Janones, who grew up in a modest family and credits Lula's social policies for his success, suffered a cardiac arrhythmia during the campaign but recovered. His channel faced temporary suspensions over misinformation allegations.