After winning in 2013, Campos focuses on 2014.

Paulo Emílio, Pernambuco 247 - The third-place ranking in voting intention polls for next year's presidential race doesn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm of Pernambuco Governor Eduardo Campos (PSB) in his bid to reach the Palácio do Planalto (Presidential Palace). Despite still being unknown to most of the national electorate, Campos has shown he knows what he's doing. Initially positioning himself through criticism of President Dilma Rousseff's (PT) economic management, he and the PSB left the government's base, managed to bring former Senator Marina Silva and the Rede party into the socialist ranks, and secured the support of the PL and, more recently, the PPS, which was also being courted by the PSDB. Advocating the construction of a new politics, in tune with the desire for change expressed by the population in the June protests, Campos has attempted a programmatic opposition, where while stating his positions he avoids direct confrontation with the Dilma government, of which he was a part until recently. And if he won in 2013, why not maintain that confidence for 2014?

Moving slowly but surely, Campos currently hovers around 10% in voting intention ratings, behind President Dilma, who is seeking re-election, and Senator Aécio Neves (PSDB) from Minas Gerais. The biggest boost to propel Campos and the PSB's national plans came shortly after the party left the government coalition in the middle of this year. Moments before the deadline for party affiliations expired, Marina Silva, who failed to establish her party, Rede Sustentabilidade, announced her affiliation and the support of her supporters for the PSB platform.

Marina's entry into the PSB, which obtained a surprising almost 20 million votes in the last presidential election, and her willingness to be Campos's running mate, caught the political world by surprise. The PT, which already viewed the Pernambuco governor's moves with suspicion – even considering the results of the 2012 municipal elections, when the PSB was the fastest-growing party nationwide, in addition to inflicting a crushing defeat on the Workers' Party in Recife (PE) that ended up splitting the party internally – did not take the move well, since the new composition ended up igniting fears that the 2014 presidential race will be decided in a second round.

The move also caught the PSDB by surprise, since the party, while not expecting direct support from the former senator, also didn't believe she could fully join the PSB. Facing a series of internal problems, such as former governor José Serra's insistence on being the party's candidate again in the presidential elections, the PSDB saw its chances of being the only party capable of challenging President Dilma's reelection significantly diminish.

While the other parties were scrambling to understand Marina's reasons, Campos announced that the PSB and Rede were working to put together a programmatic agenda that maintained the economic and social gains achieved in recent years and advanced in other areas such as sustainability and the environment, as well as modernizing and improving the efficiency of management practices and public services.  

With the PT (Workers' Party) preoccupied with the Direct Election Process (PED) to define the party's leaders, in addition to having to endure the embarrassment of accepting the fact that many of its most prominent figures were convicted by the Supreme Federal Court (STF), and the PSDB (Brazilian Social Democracy Party) trying to quell its internal crisis and consolidate Aécio Neves as a competitive candidate, Campos gained ground among the business community and intensified his travels throughout the country. In parallel, he also intensified his criticism of the Dilma Rousseff government.

Despite isolated problems during the accommodation process after Marina Silva and Rede joined the PSB, Campos also intensified contact with other parties to secure the necessary support for his candidacy. The result came last weekend when the president of the PPS, federal deputy Roberto Freire (SP), announced that the post-communist party would join the Pernambuco governor's campaign. While Campos emerged strengthened by the decision, the PSDB ended up losing a historical ally who was very close to the party's ideals in practically all recent elections. Without the support of the post-communists, the PSDB's strategy has become to seek support and alliances among those dissatisfied with the government's base.

The awkward situation has already led Senator Aécio Neves to declare that Campos will have his support, if he is not the opponent of President Dilma in a second round. While the truly official election campaign has not yet begun, Campos and Aécio are working behind the scenes on a non-aggression pact and trying to reach agreements aimed at state-level campaigns. Campos also gained new momentum this Friday (13), when a survey conducted by CNI/Ibope showed the governor as the second best-rated in Brazil.

About to leave office, Campos is expected to hand over the command of the State Government in April to his vice-governor, João Lyra. The socialist has already stated that from then on he "will no longer have any function" and that he will work to consolidate his national project. Those who know the governor assure that this is not mere rhetoric. When he ran for his first term in the Pernambuco state government, Campos practically did not appear in the opinion polls and ended up being surprisingly elected, defeating the candidate indicated by then-governor Jarbas Vasconcelos, who had one of the highest approval ratings nationally regarding state administration. If he maintains the pace that has propelled him so far, 2014 will find Eduardo Campos stronger and more determined than his opponents imagine.