National Rally's Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen greet each other during a party rally following the results of the first round of France's 2026 municipal elections, in Châlons-en-Champagne, on March 18, 2026.Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP via Getty Images

French far right’s success in Champagne boosts presidential dream – POLITICO

by · POLITICO

CHÂLONS-EN-CHAMPAGNE, France — In rural Champagne, the National Rally is finding the momentum and enthusiasm it needs to believe that it can win the French presidency in 2027.

The first round of local elections on Sunday delivered mixed results for the far-right party, highlighting how a decisive breakthrough still eludes Marine Le Pen, Jordan Bardella and their allies in France’s biggest cities.

Despite strong performances in key southern cities like Marseille and Toulon, where the National Rally scored 35 percent and 42 percent of the vote respectively, the runoff this Sunday likely won’t be an emphatic victory given how other movements have teamed up against the National Rally.