The ongoing uncertainty seems to be detrimental to Le Pen, who was found guilty last year of improperly using European Parliament funds for assistants engaged solely in domestic political work.
A recent survey by Odoxa revealed that 69 percent of National Rally supporters now believe Bardella is a stronger candidate than Le Pen. Bardella also has higher approval ratings than his mentor across various party lines and, unlike Le Pen, is viewed positively by the majority of Les Républicains voters, whose support the far right requires to win.
Over the weekend, Bardella visited southern France to support a mayoral race candidate ahead of next month’s nationwide local elections and was received by a large crowd chanting “Jordan [Bardella] at the Elysée,” according to French media.
In an interview with BFMTV during the trip, Bardella expressed loyalty to Marine Le Pen and asserted that his party would remain competitive in the next presidential election “no matter what happens, even though everything is being done to stop us.”
The French far right has long argued that the system is skewed against it, viewing the case against Le Pen as a prime example.
The National Rally is further challenged by having to prepare two separate presidential campaigns simultaneously. A Le Pen ally noted that the strategy for Le Pen’s fourth Elysée bid would differ considerably from the approach for the 30-year-old Bardella, who would be making his first presidential attempt.
“A new candidate means new storytelling, a new pitch,” the Le Pen ally remarked. “You can’t just go off what was previously decided upon.”
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