Who is André Janones? The man behind Lula’s Army WhatsApp channel and how he turned it into an election tool in Brazil
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won reelection after finishing second in the first round. Analysts credited the turnaround to lawmaker André Janones’s intensive digital campaign, which used WhatsApp, viral videos, hashtags, and livestreams to boost Lula’s online reach.
André Janones, a Federal Deputy for Minas Gerais, played a crucial role in turning around Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's presidential campaign in Brazil. After finishing second in the first round with 45.16% of the vote, Lula managed to secure victory in the second round with a margin of nearly 4%. Lula’s Army, a WhatsApp channel created to mobilize supporters, grew to nearly 11 million followers under Janones' leadership.
The channel shared pre-written messages, tasks for supporters, and urged them to recruit voters and increase Lula’s online visibility. In addition to the WhatsApp channel, Janones hosted a 24-hour livestream called the "turnaround livestream" as part of the campaign's round-the-clock digital effort. This strategy, combined with the additional 14.1 million voters who participated in the second round, helped Lula's campaign reach supporters and previously uncommitted voters.
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