Once a discreetly smiling presence at the side of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, first lady Michelle Bolsonaro is increasingly courting evangelical Christians and female voters to re-elect the husband she calls “one of God’s chosen ones.”

The far-right incumbent, who is trailing his left-wing rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the polls, has turned to his telegenic, passionate Christian wife for help with these two key demographics ahead of the Oct. 2 election.

The first lady, who has had a mostly behind-the-scenes presence for most of Bolsonaro’s tenure, is now playing a starring role in his campaign – to the point where he delivered what he himself called the keynote address when he arrived a month ago launched his re-election bid.

“She’s the most important person here,” enthused the 67-year-old Bolsonaro that day.

He then handed the microphone to his beaming 40-year-old wife, who ominously warned against restoring “our enemies” to power and led the crowd in the Lord’s Prayer.

Bolsonaro has long struggled with female voters.

In his 2018 campaign, the former army captain was the target of a women-led movement called #EleNao — “not him” — launched by critics who accused him of misogyny.

He has revived those allegations, this time with controversial campaign behavior, such as boasting about his alleged sexual prowess and punching a journalist who asked him a difficult question during the first presidential debate.

“You must have a crush on me or something,” he told her sarcastically.

“Your job is to make (Bolsonaro) more attractive to female voters,” says Sergio Praca, political scientist at the Getulio Vargas Foundation.

Both Bolsonaro and former President Lula are eagerly courting women (53 percent of voters) and evangelicals (an estimated 31 percent of Brazil’s 213 million people).

Known for his aggressive style and use of profanity, Bolsonaro has at times rubbed both groups the wrong way.

Political analysts say female voters are also resentful of his lack of action to help them through the country’s post-Covid-19 economic malaise, the impact of which is disproportionately weighing on their shoulders.

Michelle, Bolsonaro’s third wife, is sending the message that the president is a “conservative family man” and a “trustworthy” candidate, says Carolina Botelho, a political communications specialist at Rio de Janeiro State University.

The elegant first lady’s increasingly active role has drawn attention, including from election officials, who recently blocked a Bolsonaro campaign spot from television because it decided it had exceeded the allotted time for the candidates’ allies.

But it’s unclear whether the strategy is paying off: Bolsonaro’s poll ratings among women have remained essentially unchanged, with Lula leading by double digits.

Michelle “maybe boosted[Bolsonaro’s]standing among the women who were already on his side, but she didn’t attract those who were against him,” says Botelho.

“She speaks well to a fanatical, radicalized audience, but not to the rest of the population.”

The first lady seems to have greater appeal among conservative Christians, given her past volunteering for church charities and her close ties to powerful evangelical pastors and politicians.

“Their greatest strength lies in the evangelical constituency,” says Adriano Laureno, political scientist at the consulting firm Prospectiva.

Her speaking style “strongly resembles that of a pastor,” with constant references to God and a battle between good and evil, he adds.

In this case, the strategy seems to be working: Bolsonaro has a double-digit lead over Lula among evangelicals.

Polls also show that a majority of voters in Brazil believe religion should play a role in politics.

The First Lady does just that in her public appearances, regularly repeating her husband’s catchphrase: “Brazil above all and God above all.”