Although the governor and his closest advisers insist he is focused on serving Sao Paulo state, many of Brazil's seasoned conservative power brokers are already calling the pro-business moderate a natural candidate for the presidency in three years.
It also helped shore up three-quarters support among Sao Paulo lawmakers for the reform as it cleared one chamber of Congress.
He is pushing to privatize the port of Santos on the Sao Paulo coast, a bid blocked for now by the federal government.
And he has vowed to revive efforts to privatize state water utility Sabesp (SBSP3.SA), while Lula has decried recent privatizations under Bolsonaro.
"He has to finish his mission in Sao Paulo with a second term," said one close aide, asking not to be named as he was not authorized to speak about the governor's plans.
Persons:
Tarcisio de Freitas, Jair Bolsonaro, Freitas, Bolsonaro, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's, Marcos Pereira, of God, Arthur Lira, Ciro Nogueira, Bolsonaro's, Antonio Queiroz, Dilma Rousseff, Lula, Queiroz, Ricardo Brito, Anthony Boadle, Brad Haynes, Paul Simao
Organizations:
Paulo, Republicans, Universal Church of, Liberal Party, ARMY, Workers Party, Sao, Thomson
Locations:
BRASILIA, Sao Paulo, of, Brazilian, Santos