This is the first time Latino Observatory has addressed the presence of the Brazilian Community in the United States. From now on, this theme will become an object of our interest, because although Brazilians speak Portuguese, many of the characteristics of the community resemble the other groups of Latinos in the country. Moreover, in general, it is worth mentioning that Americans of Anglo-Saxon origin do not distinguish the different nationalities that originate South of the Rio Grande: for them, we are all Hispanic or Latino.

Regarding the current situation, the coincidence of electoral processes in Brazil and the United States stands out. In Brazil, we will have the second round of general elections scheduled for October 30. In the U.S., the midterm elections will take place on November 8. For them, the population will choose all federal deputies, a third of senators, state representatives, state senators, some state governors and also some mayors.

Polarization is a common trait between the two elections, mainly by using social networks in the dissemination of the so-called fake news and in the formation of almost insurmountable "opinion bubbles" for divergent opinions. The networks linked to conservative and far-right groups are noted for the diffusion of conspiracy theories, such as Q-Anon and the Great Substitution, among others, which we’ve addressed in our Latino Observatory. Also in this respect, we discuss how Latin communities are the target of a massive "fake news" campaign organized by radical wings of the Republican Party. It is interesting to note that many of the fake news circulating in Brazil have as their headquarters the political machine of the Republicans. In this respect, the community of Brazilians in the United States is subject to the same type of (dis)information that impacts on their political position, such as the fear of "gender ideology", the closure of churches, against the right to abortion, communism and threats to individual freedoms.

In the context of the two elections, we will first address the participation of the Brazilian community in the United States in relation to the first round of the Brazilian presidential election. Later, we will discuss the participation of Brazilian candidates in the U.S. midterm elections, more specifically in the state of Massachusetts, a state where the second largest population of Brazilian immigrants concentrates, in which four of them are vying for seats for the state Legislative Assembly.

The Brazilian election in the United States

In general, Brazilian voters living in the United States were very committed to the presidential elections in the first round, making huge lines at polling stations that took more than 4 hours. Many voters had the support of religious groups that hired buses to take voters, especially in Florida, the largest electoral college in the U.S., a practice that is prohibited by the Electoral Justice.

Of the more than 50,000 voters who voted in the U.S., more than 37,000 voted for current President Jair Bolsonaro against only17,000 for Lula. Brazilian communities living in Miami and New York voted wearing green and yellow T-shirts while singing the Brazilian anthem, in a clear symbolism of patriotism. Bolsonaro defeated Lula in all the most expressive electoral colleges in the USA. In Miami, the largest of them, he had 74.3% of the voteS, against 16.2% for the former president; Boston registered 69.9% to 23%. In New York, Bolsonaro won with 46.3%, against 42.9% of the ptista. It is worth noting that the Brazilian community is not homogeneous. The communities of Los Angeles, Washington and San Francisco gave victories to former President Lula. Thus, considering the space where the communities are located is also of great importance, as these three major American cities are traditionally democratic and progressive. Boston also fits that label, but there Bolsonaro won.

It is worth noting that even before the elections, the Brazilian community made clear its massive support for the president. According to the Brazilian Times, on September 7, when Brazilian independence is celebrated, conservative right-wing groups in the United States organized acts in support of the president in at least nine U.S. states. Three main groups can be cited: Yes Brazil (Florida), CCB-USA and Zap Bolsonaro of Boston (Massachusetts).

Another remarkable event of support for Bolsonaro took place in June, the 1st Brazilian Conservative Congress of Florida, organized by Yes Brazil, as reported by the portal Poder360 (https://www.poder360.com.br/governo/bolsonaro-vai-a-orlando-em-data-de-evento-com-allan-dos-santos/). The event featured important political leaders, such as the president's son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, and the fugitive blogger from Brazil, Alan dos Santos. The realization of these events demonstrates the organization of conservative right-wing groups in Brazilian communities.

Another matter is the concentration of the Brazilian community in Florida, which houses not only immigrants seeking better economic conditions, but also many entrepreneurs who have residence and business in the state. Florida is also home to a large population of Cuban origin, characterized by anti-communist activism, which has a lot of political influence in local society. The state that was once considered a swing state turned mostly to the Republican field. The state's current governor, Ron DeSantis, is vying with Donald Trump for the nomination for president in the 2024 election.

Brazilians and the U.S. elections

In the state that is home to the second largest community of Brazilians, it is interesting to note the participation of three Brazilians who competed in the elections for the Legislative Assembly of Massachusetts: Priscila Sousa, Dan Sena and Rita Mendes. Carlos da Silva is vying for one of Plymouth County Council vacancies. One interesting aspect: they all won the Democratic Primary. Considering that the state is mostly Democratic, the chances of victory of the four are very great.

Priscila Sousa will run for the 6th District of Middlesex. She was born in the city of Ipatinga, in the state of Minas Gerais, and went to the United States with her parents when she was seven years old. Priscilla has a history of community activism. She was president of the School Committee of her region, becoming the first black woman to hold the position. Because of this, education is the main flag of her candidacy. It supports the construction of new schools in the region where she lives and increased school funding. By accessing her campaign website, it draws attention, among other supporters, the endorsement of the state AFL-CIO, the large union center of theUnited States. "We are proud to support candidates who have demonstrated a commitment to the values and principles of the Labor Movement," said Steven Tolman, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.

Danillo "Dan" Sena seeks re-election to the 37th District of Middlesex. He was elected in a special election on June 2, 2020, against Republican Cathy Clark. He is one of the first dreamers to be elected in the United States. He came from a simple family and struggled to achieve the "American dream". It is noteworthy that Sena is married to Cambodian refugee Melinda Yim, according to his website. These traces of his personal life bring to his campaign a defense of immigrants, racial justice and education. In addition, he has also been in other positions in American political life, working in Senator Eldridge's office as an intern, co-sponsoring several major bills, and composing the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus —a major organization to bring blacks and Latinos to the Massachusetts legislature.

Like Dan Sena, Rita Mendes is a lawyer and realtor. She went to the United States at the age of 12 and managed, even without speaking English when she arrived, to graduate from college. Therefore, she makes a clear defense of education to ensure that others have the opportunities they need to achieve what they want. Rita Mendes is running for election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives to represent the 11th District of Plymouth for the Democratic Party. Her campaign slogan underscores the fact that she is "A mother, not a politician". In 2019, Rita was elected to the Brockton City Council and is the city's first elected Brazilian-American authority.

Similarly, Carlos da Silva also has a history of political activity. According to his website, he has been working in areas of the Democratic Party for more than 30 years and in several different positions. He is a member of the State Committee of the Democratic Party and former chairman of the Democratic Committees in Quincy and Hingham. Carlos is state auditor at the Executive Secretariat of Labor and Workforce Development and has been working in this role for 12 years. He is also one of the union representatives and currently serves on the Hingham School Committee, now in his second term. During his time on the Hingham School Committee, he gained an immense amount of knowledge about the need to secure funding for our community.

It is interesting to note that, in a state where progressive proposals such as support for immigrants, the defense of the environment, renewable energies and ethnic justice, President Jair Bolsonaro has won the presidential elections by a large margin against Lula, who clearly defends these agendas. A survey conducted by Ideia Big Data at the request of ÉPOCA magazine, in 2018, pointed out that 85% of Brazilians believe that the policies of republicans were not good, but this same community that gave victory to Jair Bolsonaro in 2018 and 2022. Although the current Brazilian president demonstrated in more than one episode a great admiration for the former U.S. president, Brazilians living in the United States did not associate their policies as similar. The same survey shows that more than 63% of Brazilians do not see similarity between these politicians.

Finally, it should be noted that Brazilians with the right to vote in the United States are in a legal situation in the country. This indicates that, compared to those who live undocumented, they have a better standard of living and are adapted to the American society. With the exception of those who already had possessions in Brazil before migrating, especially to Florida, working-class migrants, when compared to their relatives in Brazil, boast a more comfortable standard of living, associating their personal success with their own merits, something that leads them to create a social consciousness close to the middle class. Added to this is the role of social media, because a large part of this population is linked to their families in Brazil through Whatsapp, Facebook or Instagram.  The fake news broadcast here certainly reach the United States at the same speed. If we look at the voting intentions in Brazil, it is precisely the sectors that consider themselves middle class those who most strongly support Bolsonaro's candidacy for re-election. Apparently, they're afraid of losing what little they have.