Rodrigo Manga
Brazilian politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rodrigo Maganhato, better known as Rodrigo Manga, is a Brazilian politician and member of the Republicans party. He was a councillor for two terms in Sorocaba and is currently serving as mayor of the city after having been elected in both 2020 and 2024.
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Rodrigo Manga | |
|---|---|
Rodrigo Maganhato | |
Rodrigo Manga in 2024 | |
| 52nd Mayor of Sorocaba | |
| In office January 1, 2021 – present | |
| Vice President | Fernando Costa |
| Preceded by | Jaqueline Coutinho |
| Councilor of Sorocaba | |
| In office January 1, 2013 – December 31, 2020 | |
| Constituency | Most voted councilor in Sorocaba |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| Party | Republicanos (2020–present) Democratas (2016–2020) PP (2011–2016) PL (1998–2006) PR (2006–2011) |
| Parent | Brazil |
| Alma mater | Faculdade Uirapuru |
| Profession | Marketing professional |
Manga began his political career in 2012, when he was elected as a city councilor. He was re-elected in 2016 with the highest vote count in the city's history at the time. In 2020, he won the mayoral election in the second round and was later re-elected, becoming the most voted mayor in the city's history.
Despite his administration highlighting his supposed transparency on social media, Manga has been investigated by the Federal Police since 2022 for embezzlement of public funds and money laundering, in addition to contracts totaling more than 100 million reais from public treasuries.[1]
Biography
Rodrigo Manga holds a degree in marketing from Faculdade Uirapuru. Throughout his career, he established himself as a specialist in the automotive trade. He is a former drug addict, as he revealed in the book Governe sua vida e transforme o mundo, written by Eduardo Bortolossi and published in 2023.[2]
Political career
City Councillor of Sorocaba (2012–2020)
He began his political career in 2012, when he ran for his first election as a candidate for Progressistas, being elected as a city councilor with 4,778 votes (1.53%). In 2016, he ran again for city council, this time with the now-defunct Democratas party, becoming the most voted councilor in Sorocaba's history at that time, with 11,471 votes (3.86%).[3][4]
He was launched as a candidate for mayor of Sorocaba in 2020 by the Republicanos party and was elected in the second round, defeating the then-mayor Jaqueline Coutinho from the defunct Partido Social Liberal (PSL), with 52.58% of the votes. During his tenure as mayor, the most notable projects he implemented were the distribution of free community umbrellas, the installation of public cellphone chargers, and the introduction of electric scooters through out the city. In 2024, he was re-elected with 73.75% of the votes, still in the first round. The candidate from the Partido Liberal (PL), Danilo Balas, came in second place, followed by Paulinho do Transporte from the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT). With over 1 million followers on social media, his videos went viral, and Manga gained national prominence by using his networks to humorously promote his work and proposals as mayor.[5]
In October 2024, his administration announced plans to build, in partnership with the private sector, the tallest building in the world in the city center. The project planned for a skyscraper with 170 floors and approximately 1 km in height. The tallest building at the time of the announcement is 141 meters tall with 45 floors. The project aims to revitalize the city center and encourage tourism.[6]
With a projection beyond Sorocaba, he received an invitation from the Brazilian Workers' Renewal Party (PRTB) to run for state governor. Leonardo Avalanche, president of the party, stated that the party is looking to restructure itself with younger political leaders. However, Manga stated that he is an ally of Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, also from the Republicanos party.[7]
He stood out after releasing eye-catching videos of his administration on social media, "using marketing and misinformation techniques", according to TV TEM, and became known as the "TikToker mayor".[8]
Corruption allegations
Since 2022, Operation Copy and Paste has been investigating individuals who are part of a criminal organization suspected of embezzling public funds earmarked for healthcare in cities in the states of São Paulo and Bahia.[9][10] On April 10, 2025, the Federal Police (PF) served 28 search and seizure warrants in different locations, including the headquarters of the Sorocaba City Hall, the city's Health Department, the home and office of Rodrigo Manga (Republicans), the party's Municipal Directory, located in the city center, and the home of former health secretary Vinicius Rodrigues.[8]
The investigation is looking into contracts for the management of the Éden Emergency Care Unit (UPA), which has already been terminated, and for the administration of the West Zone Pre-Hospital Unit (UPH Oeste), which is still in effect. The outsourcing of the units has, to date, cost the public coffers around 100 million reais.[10]
