In 1958, Carneiro moved to
Rio de Janeiro with the intention to run for elections in what was then the
Federal District, betting that a less conservative electorate would be more receptive to his proposals. He was elected as a federal deputy for the
PSD in
1958 and, from 21 April 1960 onward, would represent the state of
Guanabara, being reelected in
1962. On 8 June 1967, in the Chamber of Deputies, Carneiro retaliated against a slap by deputy after they had argued over the presidency of the Parliamentary Union a few days earlier, by shooting Souto Maior. Both survived and were later acquitted. Carneiro began to fight for the right to divorce in 1951 after receiving letters from hundreds of women to pursue the matter. Reelected in
1978, he presided over the orientation of governor Chagas Freitas, who founded the Partido Popular, and would affiliate with the
PTB, founded by
Ivete Vargas. The party’s run to become governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro in
1982 saw
Sandra Cavalcanti as their candidate, an adversary of Carneiro. During the
indirect presidential election of 1985, Carneiro voted for
Tancredo Neves. On returning to collaborate with old acquaintances, he became a member of the
PMDB and disputed the party convention for their nomination for governor. However, the nomination of
Moreira Franco led him to dispute a third term for senator in
1986, where he was reelected. A member of the
National Constituent Assembly which led to the ratification of the
Constitution of 1988, He ran again for senator as a member of the
Progressistas in
1994, but was not reelected. ==Personal life and death==