Brazilian mayoral candidate hits opponent with chair

The road to ascending the mayoral throne in São Paolo is long and full of props fresh out of the WWE playbook. In the left corner we have José Luiz Datena, a journalist and news anchor, polling at a low 6%—not a fan favorite—and opposite him we have Pablo Marçal, an Instagram influencer and self-help guru who's made it his mission to knock Datena out of the race. He's polling third but sure to see a rise after September 16th's match.

Seems the two have been lobbing insults at each other the entire season. Will tonight's showdown land either of them a spot in the elimination round? We'll see!

Here they are now, warming up.

Round one, FIGHT!

Oh! A chair! Let's see if the refs count that as fair play.

Amateur cage match aside, the incumbent candidate Ricardo Nunes and his leftist opponent Guilherme Boulos remain higher in the polls than the two on center stage here.

Complaining of painful breathing, Marçal was taken the hospital, where aides told Brazilian media that he was diagnosed with a fractured rib. One of his fingers was dislocated, emergency officials told Brazilian media.


WASHINGTON POST