Doubting the candidacies of Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, allies of Emmanuel Macron are considering Jean Castex and Sébastien Lecornu as fallback options for the 2027 presidential election to preserve the president's legacy.
Uncertainty surrounds potential candidacies in the presidential camp for the 2027 election. Some allies of the head of state, concerned about safeguarding his legacy, question the ambitions of Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal. They are turning to figures such as Jean Castex, former Prime Minister and current head of SNCF, or Sébastien Lecornu, the current Prime Minister.
On February 4, at the Hôtel de Matignon, Sébastien Lecornu met with about ten Macronist deputies elected since 2017. During this informal exchange, the 39-year-old Prime Minister was asked about a possible presidential run. He prudently dodged the question. The following week, the same topic was raised by lawmakers from the party's right wing.
Despite his repeated denials – "I don't have the presidential bug like [Michel] Barnier or [François] Bayrou" – the idea of a Lecornu candidacy is gaining traction. The recent passage of the budget without a no-confidence vote bolsters his image as presidential material among supporters. Gabriel Attal, secretary general of Renaissance, remarked: "As soon as you step onto the doorstep of Matignon, you think of the doorstep of the Élysée."
These discussions highlight the strategies underway within the presidential camp amid an uncertain political landscape.
