Gilberto Kassab, the president of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSD), has rejected the characterization of his party's upcoming presidential candidacy as a 'third way' in light of the current political polarization between leftist candidate Lula from the Workers' Party (PT) and Flávio Bolsonaro from the Liberal Party (PL). Kassab insists that it is not about presenting a third option but rather the best choice available. Despite the challenging political landscape, he expressed confidence that the PSD would announce its candidate by the end of March.

Currently, the PSD appears to have three competitive candidates: governors Eduardo Leite from Rio Grande do Sul, Ratinho Jr. from Paraná, and Ronaldo Caiado from Goiás. According to the latest Datafolha poll, Ratinho Jr. leads among them with 7% voter support, while Lula has a significant 38% and Flávio Bolsonaro stands at 32% in the first-round polling. Kassab believes that the high rejection rates of both major candidates present a favorable opportunity for the PSD, with Datafolha reporting a rejection rate of 46% for Lula and 45% for Flávio Bolsonaro.

Kassab’s comments underline the PSD's strategy to position itself as a strong contender by highlighting the voters' discontent with the leading figures in the race. He argues that there is sufficient electoral space to present an alternative that may resonate with the electorate, suggesting that the PSD can capitalize on the high negative ratings of both Lula and Flávio, and therefore, should not be dismissed as merely a supplementary or lesser alternative in the presidential election despite the evident polarization.