Lula's Working-Class Base Is Slipping Away

Brazil's working class is changing, and that shift is threatening President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's re-election bid. In Sunday's second-round vote, growing calls for change are testing the loyalty of the voters who once carried him to power. Lula built his political career on support from Brazil's poorest workers. But as the country's working class evolves, many of those voters are rethinking their allegiance. Their demands for change now pose a direct challenge to the president. The second round on Sunday will show whether Lula can hold together his traditional base — or whether Brazil's changing workers will decide the race.