Lula's comeback shows that mass mobilization and a bold, youth-driven digital strategy can defeat the far right
Source: Hugo Albuquerque. "Lula’s Surprise Victory Is a Beam of Hope in a Dark World." October 26, 2026. jacobin.com
The Gist
The author argues that Lula's surprise win, after trailing in the first round, came from a fast, energetic grassroots campaign led by young left politicians and a huge WhatsApp network. In his view this broke the far right's grip on online communication and shows that the left can win even against long odds and powerful backers. He also says Lula must now govern in a more mass-engaged way.
Conclusion
Lula's come-from-behind victory over Flávio Bolsonaro shows that socialists and the left everywhere can beat a seemingly invincible far right, even one backed by Big Tech and the Trump administration, by pairing mass mobilization with a youthful, aggressive communication strategy.
Premises
- Lula trailed by about two million votes in the first round, then gained over ten million votes in the runoff while Flávio Bolsonaro gained only about 3.5 million. This is an unprecedented turnaround in Brazilian history.
- Lula won despite Trump administration interference and Big Tech platforms (such as Meta) favoring the far right, and despite far-right wins elsewhere in the region that created a sense of an invincible Trumpist wave.
- After the first-round defeat, the campaign connected with a new generation by bringing young, social-media-savvy left legislators into the campaign and by mobilizing student-led demonstrations.
- André Janones' WhatsApp group 'Lula's Army' grew to over ten million members in three weeks. Its disciplined agitation and its campaigns, such as reclaiming the national football jersey and repurposing military vocabulary, broke the far right's dominance of communication.
- The turnaround coincided with ending the far right's monopoly on communication and reenergizing demoralized activists. Previously the far right's social media dominance had amplified every government crisis and left Lula stagnant.
Assumptions
- The turnaround was caused chiefly by the mobilization and communication strategy, not by other factors such as far-right missteps, runoff electorate composition, or anti-Bolsonaro sentiment.
- Lessons from Brazil's context (mass WhatsApp use, Lula's personal stature) can transfer to socialist movements in other countries.
- Vote gains reflect persuasion and mobilization of voters rather than simply different turnout or the consolidation of an existing anti-far-right majority.
- Platform algorithms are biased against the left, and countering this is decisive for electoral success.
- The far right's ascendancy is a genuine threat to democracy, so defeating it is an unambiguous good.