In 2009 due to controversy surrounding alleged partisan infidelity, Garotinho left the Brazilian Democratic Movement and joined the Party of the Republic. She was later acquitted of the charges, with her new party claiming that she was being "discriminated against" by the Brazilian Democratic Movement.[4] That same year Garotinho was elected to the city council of Rio de Janeiro.[1]
In 2012 the Garotinho and Maia political families joined to form what was considered by the Brazilian media an unexpected alliance to defeat the then-mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, who was running for reelection. The coalition between the two families and the PR/DEM parties was headed by Rodrigo Maia, son of former Rio mayor Cesar Maia, and had Clarissa as his vice mayoral candidate.[5] This was considered controversial as Cesar Maia and Anthony Garotinho had been political rivals.[6] However, the campaign was a failure as Eduardo Paes was comfortably reelected with more than 2 million votes or 64% of the balot, while Maia and Garotinho obtained only 95,328 votes (3% of the balot).[7]
In the 2014 Brazilian general election Garotinho was elected to the Federal Chamber of Deputies, receiving 335,061.[8]
Garotinho did not vote in the impeachment of then-president Dilma Rousseff,[9] as she said she was unable to make it due to her pregnancy.[10] Because of the way absentee ballots were counted, Garotinho's absence actually counted as a vote in favor of Rousseff.[11] This was considered ironic as Garotinho's party and her own parents had been advocating for Rousseff's impeachment.[12]
Garotinho voted against the 2016 and 2017 tax reforms.[13]
In November 2016 Garotinho was once again expelled from a political party for partisan infidelity,[14] as she was released from the Party of the Republic for collaborating with politicians from a rival faction in the legislature.[15] She subsequently joined the Brazilian Republican Party or PRB on the invitation of Marcelo Crivella.[16] Two years later Garotinho as well as her mother Rosinha were expelled from the PRB due to being investigated for corruption.[17] Garotinho was still reelected in the 2018 Brazilian general election.[1]
In February 2019 Garotinho announced that she would be running in the 2020 Rio de Janeiro mayoral election.[18] In March 2022, she decided to join Brazil Union (UNIÃO).[19]
