Newspaper launches Renata Campos for the Federal Chamber.
Although the governor of Pernambuco, Eduardo Campos (PSB), has not yet confirmed his candidacy for President and state-level political alliances are still under discussion, Folha de S. Paulo has already launched the name of the state's first lady, Renata Campos, as a candidate for a seat in the Federal Chamber of Deputies; this would be the PSB leader's option to continue the family tradition of having a representative in Congress for almost 30 years.
PE247 - Although the governor of Pernambuco, Eduardo Campos, has not yet confirmed his candidacy for President of the Republic for the PSB in 2014 and state-level political alliances are still under discussion, the newspaper Folha de São Paulo has already launched the name of the state's first lady, Renata Campos, as a candidate for a seat in the Federal Chamber of Deputies. According to the newspaper, elevating Renata Campos to the position of federal deputy would be the PSB leader's option to continue the family tradition of having a representative in Congress for almost 30 years.
As examples of this tradition, the article published this Sunday (5) cites that Eduardo's grandfather, former governor Miguel Arraes, held a seat in the Federal Chamber for three terms. Ana Arraes, Eduardo's mother, was elected twice to the Legislative House and in one of them, in 2010, she obtained 387.581 votes and became the most voted federal deputy in the State.
But since 2011, when Ana Arraes was appointed Minister of the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), there has been a gap in the family tradition of having at least one federal deputy. Therefore, Renata's candidacy would serve to preserve Ana Arraes' electoral legacy, as well as "guarantee her husband's political space, should he lose a likely presidential race," the article notes.
However, Túlio Velho Barreto, a political scientist at the Joaquim Nabuco Foundation (Fundaj), points out that if this option materializes, Eduardo would have to assess the impact that accusations of nepotism and cronyism would have on his national project.
The article mentions that the first lady is private about her family life and also dislikes exposing her three children to media attention. Campos and Renata met as children and have been married for 32 years.
Like her husband, Renata has a degree in economics and is a career employee of the State Court of Auditors (TCE). With Campos' election to the Palácio do Campos das Princesas (Governor's Palace), she was seconded to the State Government. In the state administration, she is responsible for the Mãe Coruja (Mother Owl) program, which provides assistance to pregnant women and those with low incomes. Despite her discretion, she is mentioned in the article as a meticulous and demanding person, and her opinions are taken into consideration by the state secretariat.