Non-white candidates (Black, Indigenous, and Asian) running for federal, state, and district representative in the 2026 elections are underfunded. They account for 49.8% of the candidates but received only 39.6% of the public funds distributed by political parties. Proportionally, they were shortchanged by R$ 394 million.
The analysis was conducted by Transparência Brasil (TB) in the first edition of “Caixa de Campanha,” a bulletin released on Tuesday (Sept. 22, 2026) to track funding inequality among candidates in this election.
TB analyzed the financial revenues of proportional representation candidates registered with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) as of Sept. 15, 2026. The analysis included candidates whose registration had been approved or was pending a decision.
Of the R$4.16 billion in recorded revenue, R$3.9 billion (93%) comes from public funds, with R$3.6 billion coming from the Special Campaign Financing Fund (FEFC), known as the “electoral slush fund.” Among public funds, non-white men face the greatest underfunding. They account for 30.9% of the candidacies but have received only 22.3% of the amount distributed so far—R$ 332 million less than expected.
White men and white women received, respectively, R$ 216.9 million and R$ 177.1 million more than expected. Non-white women, on the other hand, received R$ 61.9 million less than their share of candidacies.
Underfunding cuts across party lines
The report compares the percentage of funds received by each group with that group’s percentage of total candidates, using the proportionality index.
Non-white men show a consistent pattern of underfunding across all analyzed parties, with the exception of the DC. Underfunding also predominates among non-white women.
In the case of white men, overfunding predominates in 17 of the 26 parties analyzed. Meanwhile, the group of white women consistently reports rates above zero in most parties.
No candidates from the PCB or the Democrata party reported receiving public funds as of September 15, 2026, and PCO candidates have not reported receiving any type of funding to date; therefore, they were not included in the index analysis.
What the Rules Say
The Election Law (Law No. 9,504/1997) establishes that at least 30% of candidacies for proportional representation positions must be filled by women.
TSE Resolution No. 23,752/2026 stipulates that female candidates must receive funding proportional to their number, with a minimum of 30%; that Black and mixed-race candidates must receive at least 30% for their campaigns; and that, if there are Indigenous candidates, the percentage allocated to them must be equal to or greater than the percentage of such candidates relative to the total.
However, the minimum quota for female candidates applies only to proportional representation positions, while the quota for the distribution of funds is not restricted to those positions.
Therefore, the underfunding observed among non-white candidates does not necessarily imply that parties are in violation of electoral regulations. It should also be noted that the revenue figures recorded by the TSE are still incomplete.
“The underfunding of non-white candidates observed so far reinforces inequalities in the electoral race. Since campaign financing is a key factor in the electoral success of candidates, if this situation persists, the election results are likely to reflect this inequality,” says Bianca Berti, senior transparency analyst at Transparência Brasil.
The full report can be accessed at this link.