European MP Sarah Knafo, a key figure in Reconquête, announced her candidacy for Paris mayor on TF1's 8 pm news on January 7, 2026. Aged 32 and partner of Éric Zemmour, she aims to win the March election against several heavyweights. This move rules out a run for the 2027 presidential election.
Sarah Knafo, a European MP for Reconquête and nationalist strategist, has officially launched her candidacy as her party's lead candidate for the Paris municipal elections, scheduled for March 15 and 22, 2026. The announcement came during TF1's 8 pm news bulletin on January 7, 2026. “I am running to be the next mayor of Paris (…) No one will be as determined as me to end the mismanagement,” stated the 32-year-old candidate, who proposes a savings plan of nearly 10 billion euros to cut taxes, including halving the property tax. She also pledges to hold at least two referendums per year for a “democratic” governance.
This election marks Sarah Knafo's first frontline political run; she managed Éric Zemmour's 2022 presidential campaign and emerged publicly during the 2024 European elections. Partner of Reconquête's leader, with whom she has two children, she faces a crowded field: Emmanuel Grégoire (PS, left-wing union, successor to Anne Hidalgo), Rachida Dati (Culture Minister, backed by Les Républicains and MoDem), Pierre-Yves Bournazel (Horizons, supported by Renaissance), Sophia Chikirou (La France insoumise), and Thierry Mariani (Rassemblement national). As the second far-right candidate alongside Mariani, she risks splitting the vote and preventing either from reaching the 10% threshold needed for the runoff and seats on the Paris Council.
Knafo's goals are threefold: exceed 10% to qualify Reconquête for the second round, outperform the RN – whose candidate appears uncommitted – and position her party on the right with a radical program. “I'm in it to win,” she asserted. The candidacy is seen as a national springboard, potentially for a right-wing primary or reviving Reconquête ahead of 2027. Éric Zemmour encouraged her: “You don't score goals without playing.” Recent political uncertainty, including budget debates and the threat of a no-confidence vote against the government, delayed the announcement, but Knafo now believes the path is clear to connect with Parisians.
