Chile's presidential race heads to a runoff between a communist and a pro-Trump conservative

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chile is headed to a tense presidential runoff after a closely fought first-round vote Sunday set up a showdown between a member of the Communist Party and an ultraconservative veteran politician, sharply polarizing the country between the political left and right.

Jeannette Jara, 51, the communist former labor minister and candidate of Chile’s center-left governing coalition, won 26.8% of valid ballots with almost 100% of the vote counted, failing to pass the 50% threshold to secure victory in the first round.

José Antonio Kast, 59, a hard-right former lawmaker and devout Catholic opposed to same-sex marriage and abortion, captured almost 24% of the vote, underscoring the appeal of his law-and-order platform as a surge in organized crime rattles one of Latin America’s safest nations and foments anti-migrant sentiment among Chileans.

After learning he would advance to the next round, Kast urged the country's fractured right to unite behind him, framing the runoff as an existential struggle for Chile's future.

“It will be the most important election of our generation, a true referendum between two models of society — the current one that has led Chile to destruction, stagnation, violence and hatred,” he told fans, interrupted by cheers every few seconds. “And our model, which promotes freedom, hope and progress.”

Jara had a very different message.

“This is a great country,” she told supporters in downtown Santiago, the capital. “Don't let fear freeze your hearts."

An admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro, Kast has vowed to deport tens of thousands of undocumented migrants and construct hundreds of kilometers of ditches and walls along Chile’s northern border with Bolivia to prevent people from crossing, particularly from crisis-stricken Venezuela.

“We want change, and that change today is about security,” José Hernández, the 60-year-old owner of an agricultural company said after casting his ballot for Kast.

Although voters gave Jara a slight edge on Sunday, Kast will likely benefit in the second round from a large share of votes that went to three eliminated right-wing challengers who campaigned aggressively on the need to tackle illegal immigration.

The third- and fourth-placed candidates were Franco Parisi, a right-leaning populist economist with a large social media following, with 20% of votes, and Johannes Kaiser, a radical libertarian and former YouTube provocateur elected as lawmaker in 2021, with 13.9%.

Chile’s constitution does not allow reelection to consecutive terms, so left-wing President Gabriel Boric, whose presidency ends in March, is not running.

Like her opponents, Jara has called security a top priority, promising plans to deport foreigners convicted of drug trafficking, boost controls along Chile’s borders and tackle money laundering.

“On the question of more jails, more punishments, more imprisonment, closing borders, restricting migrants, there is no debate anymore between the right and left,” said Lucía Dammert, a political scientist and Boric’s first chief of staff.

“But it’s an issue that always enhances the right, everywhere in Latin America.”

The race now goes to a second round on Dec. 14. Analysts believe the starkly opposed Jara and Kast will tack to the middle ground in order to broaden their appeal.

“We will definitely see Jara and Kast after today being even more moderate, talking about things that voters care about and trying to compete for the center,” said Rodolfo Disi, a political scientist at Chile’s Adolfo Ibáñez University.

Over the next month, Jara faces the challenge of winning over voters concerned about her lifelong membership in Chile’s Communist Party, which supports authoritarian governments in Cuba and Venezuela. Jara came under fire early on in her campaign for referring to Cuba as a democracy.

“We liked her at first, but that moment was when our opinion shifted, it seemed like a really closed-minded view,” Camila Roure, 29, said outside a polling station. But as a woman, Roure said, she wouldn’t vote for Kast, citing his history of opposition to divorce and abortion, even in cases of rape.

Kast has sought to deflect attention from his commitment to what he calls traditional family values and his German-born father’s Nazi past, both of which mobilized progressive voters against him during his last two failed presidential bids, but he has made it clear that his views remain the same.

“A Kast government wouldn’t just be a political shift, it would be a huge step backward,” said Macarena Breke, 27, an English teacher who voted for Jara.

President Boric, the young, tattooed ex-student protest leader who came to power in 2021 vowing to “bury neoliberalism” on the heels of mass unrest over inequality, has faced criticism from allies and rivals alike that his government failed to fulfill its sweeping promises of social change.

Economic discontent is simmering in one of Latin America’s most prosperous nations, with growth sluggish and unemployment up over 8.5%. The country retains its dictatorship-era constitution after voters rejected a government-backed charter that would have transformed Chile into one of the world’s most progressive societies.

But Boric’s government has several landmark welfare measures to show for itself — many of them thanks to Jara.

As labor minister, she raised the minimum wage, boosted pensions and shortened the workweek to 40 from 45 hours.

“The right is trying to sell this idea that the country is collapsing. But I don’t see that,” said Loreta Sleir, a 27-year-old who voted for Jara.

To address Chile’s cost-of-living crisis, which in 2019 helped fuel the country’s most significant social upheaval, Jara proposes a “living” monthly income of around $800 through state subsidies and minimum wage hikes. She promises to invest in big infrastructure projects and new housing.

Kast proposes quite the opposite.

Taking a page from the playbook of President Javier Milei in neighboring Argentina, he vows to shrink the public payroll, eliminate government ministries, slash corporate taxes and get rid of regulations.

He says he’ll make a staggering $6 billion in spending cuts over 18 months — a bid which, even if far-fetched, appeals to voters disconcerted by Chile's repeated fiscal deficits.

“The money disappears, the left spends it I don’t know what, human rights, and I can barely afford rent,” said Jorge Ruiz, 48, a cab driver who voted for Kast.

Although the 2% deficit this year pales in comparison to the economic woes elsewhere in the region — such as Argentina, where President Trump recently helped halt a currency crisis — it's rare in a country long hailed as a regional success story for its dedication to extreme laissez-faire economics.

It was Gen. Augusto Pinochet who first established that model, ensuring it lived on decades after the fall of his brutal dictatorship in 1990. Kast, whose brother served as a minister under Pinochet, has defended aspects of his legacy.

That dark chapter of Chile's history also lives on, experts say, in the nation's anxiety over security.

“From the moment that democracy arrived, Chile became fearful of criminal activity and distrustful of institutions, of foreigners,” said Dammert, the political scientist. “There was fertile ground for fear to grow.”

Presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast of the Republican Party, addresses supporters after early results in the general elections in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristobal Escobar)

Voters and their dogs line up at a polling station during general elections in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristobal Escobar)

Presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast of the Republican Party holds up his ballot during general elections in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Presidential candidate Jeannette Jara of the Unidad por Chile coalition addresses supporters after early results in the general elections in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Supporters of presidential candidate Jeannette Jara of the Unidad por Chile coalition watch results come in during general elections in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A worker carries away a voting booth after polls closed during general elections in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Supporters of presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast of the Republican Party react after the polls closed in general elections in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Presidential candidate Johannes Kaiser of the National Libertarian Party, votes during general elections in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristobal Escobar)

Presidential candidate Jeannette Jara of the Unidad por Chile coalition arrives to vote during general elections in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast of the Republican Party votes during general elections in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

A nun votes during general elections in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Cristobal Escobar)

Electoral workers prepare the old Mapocho train station, now a cultural center, to be used as a polling station for the general election in Santiago, Chile, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

An electoral worker prepares demonstration ballots inside the old Mapocho train station that is now a cultural center to be used as a polling station for the general election in Santiago, Chile, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Presidential candidates for the upcoming general elections are seen on TV screens during a debate in a hall of Televisión Nacional de Chile in Santiago, Chile, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Soldiers patrol the National Stadium, which will be used as a polling station during Sunday's general elections, in Santiago, Chile, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Soldier guard the old Mapocho train station, now a cultural center, that will be used as a polling station for the general election in Santiago, Chile, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cedric Gray isn't concerned about Tennessee Titans fans wanting the first overall NFL draft pick for the second straight year.

The second-year linebacker and everyone else in the Titans locker room were focused on getting their second win of the season.

Behind a strong running game along with key plays on defense and special teams, the Titans snapped a seven-game skid as they held off the Cleveland Browns 31-29 on Sunday.

“We hadn’t won since Week 5, so it feels amazing,” said Gray, who had a team-high 10 tackles and a fumble recovery. “I’m not worried about the No. 1 overall pick. We’re ballplayers. We got heart every time we step on the field.”

Tony Pollard rushed for a career-high 161 yards and two touchdowns as Tennessee averaged 5.3 yards per carry. The defense forced a pair of turnovers in the second half and the special teams blocked a punt, with those plays leading to 17 points.

“This is complementary football. Big plays in all three phases,” said interim coach Mike McCoy, who picked up his first win in seven games since he replaced the fired Brian Callahan.

Cam Ward, the top overall pick in April’s NFL draft, completed 14 of 28 passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns, his first game with multiple TD tosses. Ward also threw an interception but was sacked only once, the first time this season hadn't been taken down at least twice.

Cleveland's Shedeur Sanders passed for 364 yards and three touchdowns in his third start, and he also ran for a score in a matchup of rookies. According to the NFL, Sanders joined Cincinnati's Joe Burrow as the only rookie QBs with at least 350 passing yards, three touchdown passes and one rushing score in a game.

However, Sanders threw a costly interception in the third quarter that led to Tennessee’s go-ahead TD.

The Titans (2-11) had a 31-17 lead with 6:17 remaining before the Browns scored a pair of touchdowns. Sanders had a 7-yard scramble with 4:27 left and threw a 7-yard TD pass to Harold Fannin Jr. with 1:03 remaining, but the Browns (3-10) missed both of their 2-point conversion attempts.

Cleveland attempted an onside kick, but it was recovered by Tennessee's Chimere Dike and the Titans ran out the clock.

Pollard, who had 25 carries, had a career-high 65-yard TD run late in the first quarter to give the Titans a 14-3 lead. After Cleveland rallied to take a 17-14 halftime advantage, Pollard put the Titans up for good with a 32-yard carry off left tackle. The third-quarter touchdown came two plays after Titans safety Xavier Woods picked off an ill-timed deep pass by Sanders and returned it 35 yards to the Browns 38.

After Gray recovered Dillon Sampson's fumble and returned it 19 yards to the Cleveland 8, the Titans extended their lead to 28-17 on Ward's 5-yard TD pass to Chimere Dike.

Joey Slye's field goal made it a two-touchdown advantage. That came after James Williams Sr. blocked a punt.

“Some of the things that happened that game, we expect more from our run defense,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We got to protect the ball. We had a punt blocked, and obviously not getting either the 2-point plays really off is frustrating. So that’s on all of us.”

Sanders completed 23 of 42 passes and was the Browns' first rookie quarterback since Baker Mayfield to have a 300-yard game. Fellow rookie Fannin finished with eight receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown.

“I would say as time goes on, those decisions and those things, you know, will slim down. And we won’t be in situations where I have that feeling, like, I got to make something happen," Sanders said.

The Titans scored a touchdown on their opening drive for the first time this season when Ward hit Ayomanor on a crossing route for a 14-yard score. Ward was 4 of 4 for 48 yards on the eight-play drive. Tennessee came into the game as the only team without a TD on an opening drive.

“About time, honestly,” Ward said. “We have to continue to be efficient. I have to be efficient, throwing to my guys open, putting it in their radius to make plays.”

Sanders had a strong second quarter to help the Browns take a 17-14 halftime lead.

He found David Njoku in the left corner of the end zone on third-and-goal at the Titans 1. With 2:47 remaining, Sanders gave the Browns the lead with a 60-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy, the receiver's second TD this season.

Cleveland's Myles Garrett became the 14th player to record 20 sacks in a season when he got to Ward in the second quarter. With four games left, he needs three sacks to break the NFL record of 22 1/2 shared by Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and Pittsburgh's TJ Watt.

“I think we really were licking our chops for the pass and they stuck with the run, and we really should have been focused on stopping the run,” Garrett said.

Titans: OT Dan Moore suffered a neck injury in the third quarter.

Browns: WR Malachi Corley (concussion) and Njoku (knee) were injured in the second quarter. C Ethan Pocic (Achilles tendon), CB Denzel Ward (calf) and WR Cedric Tillman (concussion) left in the second half.

Titans: At San Francisco next Sunday.

Browns: At Chicago next Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) runs the ball for a touchdown as Tennessee Titans defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat (93) gives chase in the second half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) visits with his father Deion Sanders, right, during warmups before an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku (85) catches a touchdown pass as Tennessee Titans cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. (39) defends in the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (3) sprints to the end zone after catching a touchdown pass as Tennessee Titans cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. (39) gives chase in the first half of an NFL football game in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/David Richard)

Tennessee Titans running back Tony Pollard (20) runs the ball for a touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)