Two states see runoff comebacks in 2026 Brazil elections

In the 2026 Brazilian gubernatorial runoffs held Sunday, two of six states saw second-place first-round candidates overturn their deficits and win: Rio Grande do Norte and Tocantins. In Rio Grande do Norte, Cadu de Lula (PT) defeated Allyson Bezerra (União Brasil) with 50.77% of votes, having trailed by 0.78 points in the first round. In Tocantins, Vicentinho Jr. (PSDB) reversed a 1.6-point gap to win 64.52% to 35.48% over Professora Dorinha, marking the state's first such comeback since redemocratization. The other four states—Acre, Amazonas, Distrito Federal, and Espírito Santo—repeated their first-round results, with Acre showing the largest margin. These two comebacks bring the total to 37 in 126 runoff elections since 1990. Separately, President Lula was reelected to a fourth term, marking the first presidential runoff comeback in Brazil's modern democratic era.