INTRODUCTION

I argue that one cannot assume that Brazilian politicians desire a career within the Chamber of Deputies. Instead, political careerism among Brazilian legislators is largely focused on positions outside the Chamber, and mainly at the subnational level. I have already demonstrated that Brazilian deputies do not develop long careers in the Chamber, that they have not created institutions that would enhance the status of a seat in the Chamber, and that they often rotate out of their legislative seats to take a position in state or municipal government, even during their term. Taken together, this evidence strongly supports the notion that political careers in Brazil are not primarily built within the Chamber of Deputies. In this chapter, I complete the picture by providing evidence that Brazilian politicians exhibit largely state- and municipal-directed “progressive ambition” following their stints in the Chamber.

In the United States, scholars have argued that the House of Representatives is perfectly designed to suit members' reelection goal (Mayhew 1974, 82). The U.S. literature takes this as given, and thus explores the institutions and rules that House members have created in their attempt to assure repeated reelection. The literature's focus leaves us with very little knowledge of what Representatives do after leaving the House. The Mayhewian dictum that House members care utmost about reelection has apparently forestalled research on this topic. To my knowledge, only one scholarly article explores post-House careers.