MANY BRAZILS, DIFFERENT CAMPAIGNS

THE BATTLE FOR BRAZILIAN CAPITALS IN THE 2020 ELECTIONS AS SEEN ON TWITTER

Abstract

This article aims to examine the online campaigns of mayoral candidates in Brazil’s 26 state capitals during the 2020 elections, based on content published on Twitter. The study employs automated content analysis as its primary methodology, using a dataset of over 35,000 tweets published by 77 candidates during the campaign period. The data were organized by geographic region and by three specific candidate types: members of the incumbent political group (including current officeholders and their endorsed successors), challengers with prior political experience, and challengers without political experience. The findings reveal the formation of region-specific clusters and a notable similarity in public content shared by candidates of the same category. The evidence suggests that, although candidates differ across Brazil’s regions, their communication patterns converge when grouped by shared political profiles. This study offers a relevant contribution to the analysis of the 2020 municipal elections—held under atypical conditions—and seeks to advance the research agenda on digital campaigning, with a particular focus on Twitter as a tool for political communication in Brazil.