Raphael Glucksmann, 46, confirmed on Sunday evening in a prime time interview on TF1 that he will run in France's 2027 presidential election. The MEP and leader of the centre-left party Place Publique answered plainly when asked, saying he is indeed a candidate.
Polls currently put him at 10 to 12 percent of voting intentions, a respectable figure but likely not enough on its own to reach a second round. The joint PS Place Publique list he led took 13.8 percent in the last European elections. Glucksmann has built particular popularity among younger voters, a trend some commentators have taken to calling Glucksmania.
To avoid splitting the left-wing vote too many ways, the Socialist Party and Place Publique are preparing a joint primary in October to choose a single candidate. The exact format is still being worked out, but Socialist party members have already rejected an open primary in favor of a vote restricted to party members, a smaller electorate that works in Glucksmann's favor.
The left nonetheless remains deeply divided heading into the race. Jean-Luc Melenchon is running for a fourth time, while Green party figure Marine Tondelier, who is currently pregnant, former Green minister Delphine Batho and Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure have also been floated as possible contenders. A run by former president Francois Hollande has not been ruled out either.
Against that fragmented field, far-right leader Marine Le Pen remains the clear frontrunner in polling for what would be her third presidential bid. More than twenty five candidacies had already been formally declared by mid 2026.