They are facing a divided field of mainstream candidates on the center and center-right, including two former prime ministers under Macron in Gabriel Attal and Edouard Philippe, and Bruno Retailleau, a former interior minister. These candidates have struggled to settle on a common message in response to the crisis — let alone agree on who the best candidate would be to avoid their nightmare scenario of a runoff between Mélenchon and Le Pen.
‘Out of ideas’
Three officials supporting centrist and conservative candidates told POLITICO that they were concerned the events of the past few weeks would cause lasting damage to their campaigns.
“It’s definitely going to kill us,” said one campaign official who, like others in this story, was granted anonymity to speak candidly. “We cannot be the solution anymore, only the problem.”
A Philippe supporter went as far as suggesting his champion was ill-equipped for the moment. “It’s exactly what he doesn’t need,” the supporter said last week, drawing parallels between the protests and the 2018–2019 Yellow Vest movement under Philippe’s premiership. “He doesn’t know how to do this. He’s not empathetic, and he’s not pretending to be.”
“Honestly, I don’t know how we’re going to get through this. Things are tough, and we’re out of ideas,” a centrist MP said.
The protests have taken place two Saturdays in a row and are expected to continue in the weeks to come. High school students are demanding better learning conditions while the wider public are protesting the cost-of-living crisis. The movement has been marred by scenes of vandalism and looting, especially on Oct. 17, when Macron’s government appeared to have underestimated both the scale of the protests and the potential for violent unrest.