Less than two months before the first round of municipal elections, can Benjamin Griveaux still win in Paris? Or has it started a slide that risks marginalizing it little by little? So far, the former government spokesperson has been the main opponent of Anne Hidalgo, the socialist candidate for re-election. Given the very good scores obtained by the macronists since 2017, Paris seemed a possible city to win for La République en Marche (LRM). A pretty trophy seemed in sight for Emmanuel Macron, in a ballot that promises to be difficult for the presidential party at the national level.
But since September 2019, nothing has been going well. There was first the dissenting candidacy of the deputy of Essonne Cédric Villani, very dissatisfied with the way in which the LRM “apparatus” had dismissed him to invest in Benjamin Griveaux. A laggard candidate, the star of mathematics could not take the lead in the polls. Nevertheless, it captured part of the possible voters of his “enemy brother”, and completely parasitized his campaign.
Then, with the pension reform, the statements of Benjamin Griveaux became little audible. “We’ve been in a kind of misstep for months … er, a false dish, supports a member of his team. Between the debate on pensions, strikes, and the absence of the main competitor, Anne Hidalgo, who had not yet declared herself, no one was interested in what could be said. Nothing printed. “
“On a slide”
A list head confirms the problem: “For three months, the situation did not allow Benjamin to publicize his project. Cross the street, ask people if they know his proposals. The answer is no. Not one. ” Rare remarks drew attention, sometimes to the detriment of the candidate, such as his unexpected criticism of the RATP bellows buses, accused of causing traffic jams.
Under these conditions, the IFOP survey for The Sunday Journal and Sud Radio published on January 19 raised doubts. Instead of taking advantage of fresh rally of the right macronist Pierre-Yves Bournazel, the LRM candidate backs away, with only 15% of voting intentions in the first round. For the first time, Benjamin Griveaux was reduced to third place among the candidates, behind Anne Hidalgo (25%) and Rachida Dati (19%). What if the real alternative to the outgoing mayor was not Benjamin Griveaux, but the candidate of the party Les Républicains?
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