RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas said on Monday that Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro will have his support in a potential run for president next year, following days of silence about the matter.
"Flavio can count on us," Tarcisio told reporters after an event. He said he will always be loyal to the senator's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro.
On Friday, the younger Bolsonaro said his father, who is serving a 27-year sentence for a coup plot in 2022, backed him for a presidential run next year, jolting markets that had bet on a more seasoned candidate consolidating support on the right.
Some investors had bet on Bolsonaro's backing a more market-friendly name with executive experience, such as the Sao Paulo governor, to challenge leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Over the days since the announcement, Senator Bolsonaro has made contradictory statements on the possibility of his candidacy actually reaching the October election. On Sunday, he hinted that he could step down from his run "at a price."
But on Monday, in an interview with local newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, the senator said his candidacy was irreversible and "not for sale."
In the interview, Bolsonaro claimed advantage over Freitas, the Sao Paulo governor, due to his last name, stating that he had no doubt the former infrastructure minister would back him.
A Datafolha poll released on Saturday, but surveyed before the announcement, showed Bolsonaro's eldest son trailing Lula by 15 points - 51% to 36% - in a potential second round next year. Freitas was just 5 points behind Lula - 47% to 42% - in the same scenario.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier; Additional reporting and writing by Fernando Cardoso; Editing by Leslie Adler)
