Rachida Dati, conservative candidate for Paris City Hall, holding a microphone, in Paris, on February 14, 2026. JOEL SAGET/AFP
Paris's municipal race is in a sticky situation. With one month to go before the vote, scheduled for March 15 and 22, the six main candidates vying to succeed Socialist Mayor Anne Hidalgo seem mired in the muddy marls of Paris, stuck in positions that hardly shift. Some controversial topics, such as the never-ending budget talks in Parliament, scandals in the after-school sector, legal cases and mutual accusations of pandering to political extremes, have stalled the emergence of momentum and the development of constructive debates during the campaign.
Read more about the municipal elections Paris mayoral election: Who's running?
The final lineup was eagerly anticipated following the entry of Sarah Knafo (Reconquête, far right) into the race on January 7. For the Socialists, former deputy mayor Emmanuel Grégoire, who had been preparing since 2020, won the party's internal primary and intended to embody the next generation. He even achieved a political first in Paris: Rallying the entire left, excluding the radical left La France Insoumise (LFI), under his name. Despite that, the Paris lawmaker, who is rather introverted, has found it difficult to make an impression on public opinion. He remains relatively unknown and has struggled to overcome his reputation as a right-hand man. Grégoire served as chief of staff to former mayor Bertrand Delanoë from 2010 to 2012, to former prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault from 2012 to 2014 and Hidalgo's first deputy from 2018 to 2024.
