Brazil's runoff election pits Lula against Bolsonaro as voters weigh economy and crime

Brazilians voted Sunday in a tight presidential runoff between leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, a race that could shift Latin America's largest nation sharply rightward and closer to the United States. Bolsonaro, son of convicted former President Jair Bolsonaro, scored a first-round upset by leading with 47 percent to Lula's 45 percent, and no candidate has ever won the presidency after coming second initially. The campaign has been dominated by corruption scandals, economic anxiety, and accusations of US meddling, which Washington denies, while Bolsonaro pledges to free his father. A Bolsonaro victory would extend a wave of right-wing wins for Latin American leaders friendly to President Donald Trump, who has declined to endorse a candidate. Lula has cast Trump's proximity to the Bolsonaro clan as election interference, while voters weigh high living costs, household debt, and endemic gang violence.