José Sarney Filho began his career in public life at a young age by the National Renewal Alliance (ARENA) in 1970.

Since 2005, he has been affiliated with the Green Party (PV) and has been re-elected in 2006, 2010 and 2014, being one of his main leaders in the National Congress and being in his ninth consecutive term.

His fourth son, Daniel Sarney, lives in Canada with his mother, the anthropologist Annette Leibing.

In one of the investigations of Operation Lava Jato, in June 2016, former Senator Sérgio Machado, in terms of an award-winning demarcation, pointed out that he passed on former President José Sarney, according to him, 2.25 million reais per Means of legal electoral donations, including 400,000 reais for the Green Party of Maranhão.

Even without being accused by Sérgio Machado, some press vehicles assume that the supposed indication for the legal donation to the Green Party of Maranhão would be for the federal deputy campaign of Sarney Filho in 2010, when the same belonged to the PV.