Brazil’s Right-Wing Leader Tries to Gain on Leftist Election Rival

SÃO PAULO—Trailing in polls with a month to go before Brazil’s election, President Jair Bolsonaro came out swinging in the country’s first presidential debate late Sunday, calling leftist rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a corrupt “ex-con.”

The right-wing Mr. Bolsonaro has been fighting to claw back against the popular Mr. da Silva, a former president who polls show winning the race. A victory by Mr. da Silva on Oct. 2 would cement a shift to the political left in South America, where leftist politicians have recently won office in Colombia and Chile.