(COMBO) This combination of file pictures created on August 15, 2026, shows Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia on July 22, 2026; and Brazilian Senator and presidential hopeful Flavio Bolsonaro in Brasilia, on June 22, 2026. Brazil's leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his right-wing rival Flavio Bolsonaro kick off their election campaigns on August 15, 2026, in a race that has many voters feeling a weary sense of deja vu. (Credit: by Sergio Lima and Evaristo SA / AFP via Getty Images)
Two rallies filled two Brazilian landmarks this past weekend, and neither one was really just about Brazil. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro used their home turf to formally open a presidential race that polling shows is nearly tied — a contest already tangled up with tariffs, a canceled ambassador's visa, and an unusually loud cheering section in Washington.
Two rallies, two very different scenes
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