All eyes in Brazil on Michelle Bolsonaro as her husband's career implodes

By Gabriel Stargardter

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) -Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's hopes of reclaiming the presidency in 2026 may be over. But that doesn't mean there won't be a Bolsonaro running in three years' time.

Brazil's federal electoral court (TSE) on Friday froze Bolsonaro's political career, barring the far-right nationalist from public office until 2030 for spreading baseless claims about the country's voting system in last year's election.

The ruling represents a devastating setback for the 68-year-old career politician who was until recently Brazil's most powerful man.

But it may not spell the end for the Bolsonaro clan.

Speaking on Thursday shortly after landing in Rio de Janeiro, where he was greeted with shouts of "criminal" and "coup-monger," Bolsonaro backed his wife Michelle for 2026.

"Of course, I would support a Michelle candidacy," he said.

In an Instagram post shortly after the TSE ruling, Michelle wrote: "'Our dream is more alive than ever,' ... I am at your command, my CAPTAIN."

Bolsonaro, who also faces a number of criminal probes that could land him in jail, is blamed by many Brazilians for birthing a nationwide election denial movement after his loss in last year's vote to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

He has previously suggested that once "out of the game" he could become a political king-maker. But many of his ex-allies are already pinning their 2026 hopes on newer faces like Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio Freitas and Minas Gerais Governor Romeu Zema.

His best chance at remaining relevant may now lie with his family.

Michelle Bolsonaro is a political newcomer, but her folksy demeanor and emphasis on traditional values have won her fans among Brazilian working-class women. Her profile rose during the 2022 campaign, when she became increasingly visible at Bolsonaro events as he struggled to appeal to female voters. She joined his conservative Liberal Party last year, and is now head of its women's movement.

She has not ruled out the possibility of running for office.

"If, while I'm on this path, and my heart burns for it, I could come to be a legislative candidate," she said in May.

Like roughly a third of Brazil's 200 million people, Michelle, 41, is an Evangelical Christian. Evangelicals were big backers of Bolsonaro's conservative family values, and remain wary of Lula.

William Douglas, an Evangelical federal appeals court judge who was among names mooted for Bolsonaro's pick for the Supreme Court in 2021, said Michelle held appeal for some voters.

"Certainly, some Evangelical women will identify with her, but I think she will have more success with voters of the former president," he said.

And she is not the only Bolsonaro with a shot at Brazil's top job. Two of Bolsonaro's sons from a previous marriage are federal lawmakers. They may harbor their own presidential ambitions, although neither has announced a run.

Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, 42, was a key backroom player in Brasilia during his father's four years in office, appointing allies throughout the federal bureaucracy. But he remains stained by corruption allegations, which he has denied, from his time as a Rio state lawmaker.

Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, 38, has played the role of the Bolsonaro family's foreign emissary, appearing at U.S. gun shows and conservative political conferences where he rubbed shoulders with high-profile right-wingers like Steve Bannon. But he remains a polarizing figure, with fringe political views and limited support.

(Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)