João Doria, a former TV star and millionaire businessman who erupted on Brazil’s political scene when he was elected mayor of the city of São Paulo in 2016, makes no secret of his higher ambitions. He gave up the mayoral position less than halfway through his four-year term to run for the São Paulo state governorship last year, having previously given signs that he was considering taking on the presidential race for his party, the centre-right Partido da Social Democracia Brasileira (PSDB). He narrowly won the gubernatorial election in the second round last October, after aligning himself with now-President Jair Bolsonaro. Widely expected to be a challenger to Bolsonaro if he seeks re-election in 2022, Doria has now begun to distance himself from his potential adversary. End of preview - This article contains approximately 1070 words.
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