Edouard Philippe tilts right to combat far right in French presidential race

Edouard Philippe tilts right to combat far right in French presidential race France’s former PM is popular, but he faces numerous challenges to prevent Marine Le Pen or Jordan Bardella from winning the Élysée. Photo-illustration by Júlia Vadler/POLITICO via Getty Images Former French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe believes it’s France’s mainstream conservative voters who will propel him to the presidency in a showdown with the far right next year. Philippe, a one-time ally of centrist President

That victory boosted Philippe’s credentials as the best-placed candidate to face off against either Marine Le Pen or Jordan Bardella from the far-right National Rally next year in an election that threatens to send shockwaves through the EU and NATO. The only question was when Philippe would make his move for the Elysée. He finally launched his campaign at a rally of his Horizons party last week, in the northeastern city of Reims in Champagne country, and made clear his plan was not to style himself as a universally appealing centrist alternative to the far right, but to lead a campaign with a conspicuous right-wing slant. Few doubt that Philippe could act as unifying candidate in the second-round in 2027 but his biggest strategic concern is that he will need to get there first. The appeal to conservatives is an attempt to ensure that he has a core base that will mobilize for him in the first round. “I know where I came from: from the right,” he told more than 800 party delegates, stressing his origins in the conservative political family that gave France presidents such as Charles de Gaulle and Jacques Chirac. “I know who I am: at the head of a rightwing party.” During his hour-long speech, he leaned into several conservative talking points: slashing red tape, cutting corporate turnover tax and cracking down on drug trafficking. But will the right-wing positioning work? The immediate danger is that other center-right figures such as Bruno Retailleau, leader of the conservative Les Républicains, and another former prime minister, Gabriel Attal, look set to encroach on his political turf with their own candidacies. Retailleau, to Philippe’s right, is leading a hardline campaign and promising to slash immigration, even if that means changing the French constitution. To his left, Attal is pursuing an aggressive media strategy with interviews and snappy videos, and, according to several recent polls , is catching up with Philippe. Then, Philippe faces the problem that he is moderately liked by everybody, but loved by no one, which partly explains why he wants to put a clear conservative stamp on his campaign.

Key points

• That victory boosted Philippe’s credentials as the best-placed candidate to face off against either Marine Le Pen or Jordan Bardella from the far-right National Rally next year in an election that…
• The only question was when Philippe would make his move for the Elysée.
• He finally launched his campaign at a rally of his Horizons party last week, in the northeastern city of Reims in Champagne country, and made clear his plan was not to style himself as a universall…
• Few doubt that Philippe could act as unifying candidate in the second-round in 2027 but his biggest strategic concern is that he will need to get there first.
• The appeal to conservatives is an attempt to ensure that he has a core base that will mobilize for him in the first round.