From Macarrão to Plínio Trump: Brazil’s Most Unusual Ballot Names in the 2026 Elections

With one week to go before the first round on October 4, the race for seats in state assemblies and the Chamber of Deputies has a chapter of its own: unusual ballot names and slogans. According to a Folhapress report, candidates are betting on puns, costumes, wigs and jokes in their campaign ads to grab attention — a tactic that experts link, among other factors, to protest voting.

With only a few seconds of airtime to win over voters, humor becomes a strategy. Here are some of the most talked-about cases.

The names that stand out

• Macarrão (“Noodles,” PT-SP): Emerson de Abreu Santana, 52, is running for federal deputy in São Paulo. It’s his fourth time on the ballot and his second attempt at the Chamber of Deputies; in previous races he ended up as an alternate. His slogan, a double entendre with a sexual connotation, ends with the invitation “Vote for Macarrão.”
• Plínio Trump (Novo-MG): Plínio Vicentin Junior, 59, is a federal deputy candidate in Minas Gerais who lives in Varginha. According to his campaign website, he has three decades of experience as a helicopter pilot. He says the nickname came from his physical resemblance to U.S. President Donald Trump.
• Gringo Motoka (“Gringo Biker,” PSB-SP): despite the name, Edgar Francisco da Silva is Brazilian. He is running for federal deputy in São Paulo and has used the same ballot name since 2024, when he ran for city councilman in the capital.
• C.J GTA (Democrata-DF): Mateus Sena Costa, 33, is running in his first election, for federal deputy in the Federal District. The name references a character from the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
• Other names mentioned: Tadala (Agir-RJ), Taxista Samurai (“Samurai Taxi Driver,” PDT-PE), Gugu Liberato (Avante-SE) and Sargento Bigode (“Sergeant Mustache”), a candidate for state deputy in Pernambuco.

Candidates evoking Lula

At least three candidates use the president’s name in their ballot names. Merchant Daniel Vieira da Silva (PT) is running for state deputy in Alagoas as “Lula de Alagoas,” and Luiz Gonzaga Rodrigues Filho, 51, is running for federal deputy for the Mobiliza party as “Lula da Tapioca” — his second run under the same name.

Doctor Célio Morais (PL), 71, is a federal deputy candidate in São Paulo under the name “Dr. Célio, o Lula do Bem” (“Dr. Célio, the Good Lula”). The choice prompted a request to challenge his candidacy: election prosecutors argued the name could create a false association with the president.

Humor and votes: a Brazilian tradition

The strategy isn’t new. In 2002, physician Enéas Carneiro, of the Prona party, became a phenomenon with his catchphrase “My name is Enéas” and was elected federal deputy for São Paulo with 1,573,642 votes, the highest total in history at that time — a record that wasn’t surpassed until 2018. In 2010, it was the turn of clown Tiririca, who campaigned with slogans such as “It can’t get any worse, vote for Tiririca” and became the country’s top vote-getter for federal deputy, with more than 1.3 million votes.

In 2026, candidate Du Venturini hired comedian Yuri Caetano, dressed as his character Zuleide, for his campaign ads. Asked about the cry of “Vai votar no Du!”, the candidate’s team says the expression is not a pun, just a phrase used by him and his supporters.

All candidacies remain subject to review by the electoral courts. The information above was gathered from Folhapress reporting and other outlets following the races.