Jerônimo Rodrigues

Jerônimo Rodrigues
Jerônimo in 2024
Governor of Bahia
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 January 2023
Vice Governor	Geraldo Júnior
Preceded by	Rui Costa
State Secretary of Education of Bahia
In office 1 February 2019 – 31 March 2022
Governor	Rui Costa
Preceded by	Walter Pinheiro
Succeeded by	Danilo de Melo Souza
State Secretary of Rural Development of Bahia
In office 1 January 2015 – 1 February 2019
Governor	Rui Costa
Preceded by	Rui Costa
Succeeded by	Josias Gomes
Personal details
Born	Jerônimo Rodrigues Souza (1965-04-03) 3 April 1965 (age 60) Aiquara, Bahia, Brazil
Party	PT (since 1990)
Residence	Ondina Palace
Alma mater	Federal University of Bahia
Profession	Professor and agricultural engineer

Jerônimo Rodrigues Souza (born 3 April 1965) is a Brazilian politician, agricultural professor, and bureaucrat who has been serving as Governor of Bahia since 2023. He is a member of the Workers' Party.[1] In the 2022 gubernatorial election, he defeated former Salvador mayor ACM Neto in an upset, becoming the first self declared indigenous governor in Brazilian history.[2][3] He previously served as the state secretary for education under Rui Costa, as an advisor in technology to Governor Jaques Wagner, as an advisor to the Rousseff government, and as head of multiple ministries in the government of Rui Costa, rising through the ranks of governmental management. Jerônimo is also a professor at State University of Feira de Santana.[4]

Born in Palmeirinha, a village in the municipality of Aiquara, to Zeferino Rodrigues, a farmer, and Maria Cerqueira, a seamstress, Jerônimo attended public school in Jequié and received a master's degree in rural development from the Federal University of Bahia in 1991.[5]

Jerônimo was accepted to a graduate program at the State University of Feira de Santana. He taught several subjects to undergraduates including Economic Sciences, Accounting Sciences, Law, Administration and Geography. After finishing graduate school, he returned to Aiquara where he was professor at the Colégio Municipal Américo Souto and an advisor to the mayor in agricultural planning. During this period, through student movements, he began to be affiliated with the Workers' Party largely in opposition to the 'Carlism' of Antônio Carlos Magalhães.[5]

Jerônimo, after participating in his campaign for governor, was appointed by Jaques Wagner an advisor to the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation of Bahia in 2007, before becoming a member of the strategic division of the Secretariat of Planning.[5]

After the success of his work and his experience in agricultural economics, he was recommended by Wagner to Dilma Rousseff who appointed him to various agricultural and planning positions, serving as National Secretary for Territorial Development, special advisor to the Ministry of Agrarian Development, executive secretary of the Pro Territories/Cumbre Ibero-American Program and executive secretary of the National Council for Sustainable Rural Development.[5]

After coordinating Rui Costa's campaign for governor, Jerônimo helped create the Secretariat of Rural Development, which he headed from 2015-2018. After coordinating Costa's landslide reelection, he was appointed Secretary of Education.[5]

As one of the main state secretaries of the new PT administration, Jerônimo had carte blanche to carry out an investment of R$3.5 billion in public schools. His management focused on offering thousands of vacancies in vocational courses through the Educar para Trabalho program.[5]

During the Covid-19 pandemic, amidst the children's learning difficulties, the secretary created two programs to combat school dropout: the Bolsa-Presença, which offered monthly aid of 150 reals to families of students from the state education network, and Mais Futuro, whose objective was to keep young people in the university with financial support. It also implemented the Student Food Voucher and Mais Estudos.[5]

Rodrigues took office on 1 January 2023, succeeding Rui Costa. He has described his administration as a continuation of the policy agenda of the Workers' Party (PT) governments that have led Bahia since 2007, while also emphasizing public security and large-scale infrastructure as priorities.

Map of the gubernatorial election, Rodrigues in red, Neto in blue

Rodrigues was nominated by the Workers' Party (PT) to succeed Rui Costa and ran with Geraldo Júnior (MDB) as his vice-governor candidate, forming a coalition titled Pela Bahia, Pelo Brasil ("For Bahia, For Brazil").[6] The campaign also drew national attention because of its alignment with the PT's presidential ticket and the participation of national party leaders in the final stretch of the race.[7]

During the runoff, Rodrigues’s campaign increasingly framed the contest in national political terms, associating his candidacy with the PT's national platform and portraying the election as a test of the party’s strength in the Northeast, a region where the PT has historically performed strongly in presidential elections.

In the first round (2 October 2022), Rodrigues finished first with 49.33% of valid votes, ahead of ACM Neto (União Brasil) with 40.88%, sending the contest to a runoff.[8]

Rodrigues won the second round on 30 October 2022. The TSE reported 52.54% of valid votes for Rodrigues at the time of its election-night update, confirming his victory over ACM Neto.[9]

Rodrigues formed his administration with participation from parties that supported his 2022 ticket, and he has made periodic cabinet changes tied to coalition management and electoral calendars. In December 2024, he initiated a reshuffle affecting, among other areas, institutional relations, communication, and the governor’s office staff.[10] Further changes were announced in August 2025, including appointments affecting the state administration and science and technology portfolios and leadership in state-linked entities.[11]

In education policy leadership, Adélia Pinheiro left the Education Secretariat in April 2024 amid preparations to run for municipal office, and Rowenna Brito was later confirmed as secretary in August 2024.[12][13]

Public security became a central issue during Rodrigues’s tenure amid persistent violence and disputes involving organized crime. In June 2024, Rodrigues sanctioned the law creating Bahia Pela Paz, a program structured around inter-institutional governance (including the judiciary, public prosecutors and the public defender’s office) and aimed at coordinating prevention and social policies in selected communities.[14]

In March 2025, Rodrigues announced changes in the leadership of state security forces, including command positions in police institutions, as part of an effort to reorganize strategy and operations.[15] In September 2025, he sanctioned laws creating new regional commands and units within the Military Police (PMBA), which the government presented as a measure to increase territorial coverage and capacity.[16]

The government has periodically reported reductions in indicators of violent deaths. In December 2025, a state release stated that November 2025 recorded the lowest number of violent deaths in 13 years, citing police statistics.[17] At the same time, press coverage highlighted the scale of deaths resulting from police action in the state, framing police lethality as a continuing controversy for the administration.[18]

Rodrigues’s administration prioritized major mobility projects in the Salvador metropolitan region and logistics works presented as strategic to regional development.

Under Rodrigues, the Ponte Salvador–Ilha de Itaparica project advanced through financing and contract renegotiation steps after delays linked to cost increases and disputes over the original terms. In 2024, the state began a new phase of geotechnical drilling and seabed surveys as part of preparations for construction. In December 2024, the state and the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) signed a financing contract for up to US$150 million for the integrated road system that includes the bridge and access works.[19][20][21]

In June 2025, the state and the concessionaire signed a new contractual agreement intended to enable the effective start of works, following a mediation process involving the Bahia State Court of Accounts (TCE-BA). A subsequent state release cited June 2026 as the forecast start for the physical works phase.[22][23]

Rodrigues’s government maintained the project to implement a light rail system (VLT) on the former Suburban Railway corridor in Salvador. The project became linked to broader negotiations involving equipment acquisition and oversight by audit institutions; the state has treated the VLT as a flagship urban mobility investment for the metropolitan region.[24]

Rodrigues has emphasized expansion of staffing, school infrastructure and full-time education. In April 2024, he authorized the appointment of hundreds of teachers and pedagogical coordinators from a prior public examination, which the government presented as part of a policy to strengthen learning outcomes in the state network.[25]

The administration has also tied its education agenda to federal investment programs, including school construction and modernization initiatives associated with the federal PAC framework.[26]

Rodrigues’s government has promoted a development agenda combining state investment, attraction of private projects and logistics works. In December 2025, the state finance secretariat stated that Bahia had invested R$16.08 billion in 2023–2024 and R$20.2 billion since 2023, attributing the figures to a policy of expanding public investment capacity and supporting productive activity.[27]

Mining policy featured in the administration’s investment promotion. In 2024, the state presented mining opportunities in national industry forums and highlighted the sector’s revenue and investment pipeline.[28]

The government also supported initiatives involving the state-owned mineral company (CBPM), including protocols linked to new projects and supply chains, such as the Galvani phosphate project, presented by CBPM as an investment with operations projected to begin in 2026.[29]

Rodrigues also discussed infrastructure and mining strategy in interviews with specialized outlets, linking the agenda to logistics and clean energy planning.[30]

The next Bahia gubernatorial election is scheduled for 4 October 2026, with a runoff (if required) on 25 October.[31]

Rodrigues publicly confirmed his intention to seek re-election during his first term, describing the contest as likely to be again polarized with ACM Neto as a principal opponent and indicating that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva would play a central role in campaigning.[32][33]

His administration has also framed late-term cabinet changes as partly driven by the approach of the 2026 electoral cycle and the need to manage eligibility rules for officeholders seeking elected positions.[34]

Jerônimo is married to Tatiana Velloso, a professor at Federal University of Recôncavo Baiano, and has one son.[35]

Jerônimo is self declared indigenous and Catholic.[5]

• Jerônimo Rodrigues on Facebook
• Jerônimo Rodrigues on Instagram
• Jerônimo Rodrigues on TikTok
• Jerônimo Rodrigues on Twitter
• Media related to Jerônimo Rodrigues at Wikimedia Commons

Political offices
Preceded by Rui Costa	State Secretary of Rural Development of Bahia 2015–2019	Succeeded by Josias Gomes
Preceded by Walter Pinheiro	State Secretary of Education of Bahia 2019–2022	Succeeded by Danilo de Melo Souza
Preceded by Rui Costa	Governor of Bahia 2023–present	Incumbent