By Ricardo Luiz
Brazilian federal deputy Erika Hilton (PSOL-SP) is already looking beyond her current post. In an interview on Friday, November 6, 2026, she confirmed her interest in running for mayor of São Paulo in 2028 and admitted she is discussing a possible departure from the PSOL, the Socialism and Liberty Party, with a move closer to the PT, the Workers' Party. Her newly won mandate has not yet begun, and she is already eyeing the executive branch of Brazil's largest city.
Running for São Paulo mayor in 2028
Hilton summed up her thinking in her own words: “Eu tenho pensado bastante sobre a disputa para a Prefeitura em São Paulo também. É uma coisa que eu tenho começado a olhar com certo interesse.” In English: “I have been thinking a lot about the race for the São Paulo mayor's office too. It's something I've started to look at with a certain interest.”
No official pre-candidacy has been announced. The election is scheduled for October 2028 and, according to the moves the deputy herself described, depends on negotiations, alliances and decisions within her party.
Hilton was re-elected to the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Congress, in October 2026 with about 1.5 million votes. That made her the most-voted woman in the history of the post, surpassing the record set by Joice Hasselmann, a former federal deputy, in 2018.
Her career includes a seat in the Activist Caucus in the São Paulo State Legislative Assembly, a term as a city councillor in the capital starting in 2020, and her election to the Chamber of Deputies in 2022. During this period she gained national prominence by taking part in debates such as the discussion over the 6x1 work schedule.
A possible move away from the PSOL
The more sensitive development concerns her party affiliation. Hilton is holding talks about a possible closer relationship with the PT and has not yet decided whether she will leave the PSOL. She said she intends to approach the party's national leadership to understand the next steps and to assess whether talks with PT members move forward.
The PSOL's national president, Paula Coradi, has said the party is open to dialogue with the deputy and is considering launching her for an executive office. In other words, the PSOL is trying to keep the lawmaker by offering a candidacy, while the PT appears as an alternative.
Any switch could reshape the left's arrangements in São Paulo, precisely because the deputy wants to run for mayor.
Why it matters
São Paulo is Brazil's largest city, and its mayor is one of the most powerful municipal posts in the country. The PT is the party led nationally by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the PSOL is a smaller party further to the left. Whether Hilton stays in the PSOL or joins the PT's orbit will shape the field for the 2028 municipal elections. The next steps are a conversation with the PSOL leadership and a decision on the talks with the PT. Only after that will the deputy decide whether she stays in the party and whether her pre-candidacy moves from intention to a formal bid.
VDD Analysis
For those who want less rhetoric and more results, the episode shows a politician who, before delivering her new mandate, is already negotiating her party and her next office for 2028. It is up to São Paulo voters to ask what the deputy did with the 2026 vote before handing her the keys to the country's largest city hall.
