Lula tussles with next-generation Bolsonaro as Brazilian presidential race heats up

Brazil's Oct. 4 presidential election is shaping up as a contest between 80-year-old incumbent Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of the imprisoned former president serving 27 years for leading a coup attempt. Two September polls put Lula around 37-38%, Flávio Bolsonaro around 29-33%, and centrist Augusto Cury at 8-10%, with tight potential runoffs of 46-44 or 42-41 in Lula's favor.

Flávio Bolsonaro faces scrutiny over financing a film about his father through a banker jailed for alleged fraud, while federal police separately investigate Lula's son over suspected influence peddling at the Health Ministry, with no deals signed and denials from all involved. Analysts say both scandals complicate their respective campaigns without necessarily costing either candidate his base.

Brazilians will also elect the entire Chamber of Deputies and part of the Senate the same day, votes that analysts say will determine how much either winner can actually govern. Voting is mandatory for most adults among the roughly 158.7 million eligible voters.

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