Emmanuel Grégoire, former first deputy of Anne Hidalgo, announced his candidacy for the 2026 municipal election in Paris.
The Paris deputy Emmanuel Grégoire announced, in an interview with Parisianthat he will be a candidate for mayor of Paris during the 2026 municipal election: “I want to be the mayor of the reconciliation of Parisians with their city,” he declared. A decision taken well in advance of the election: “It takes time to take on such a challenge, time to build a project (…) Sixteen months is not a lot for a city as complex and unique as Paris” . The deputy will submit his candidacy to the vote of Parisian socialist activists.
Emmanuel Grégoire could have his chances. The deputy of the 7e Paris constituency showed its influence by winning in the first round of the legislative elections in June against the Macronist candidate Clément Beaune. 450 socialist activists from the Paris federation have also already launched an appeal in its favor. If he is appointed, he could find himself facing Rachida Dati, the current Minister of Culture, who announced her candidacy at the start of the year. According to a Ipsos survey revealed by The Parisian on the potential candidates for mayor of Paris, Gabriel Attal receives the most favorable opinions with 42%, followed by Rachida Dati with 39%, Anne Hidalgo with 28% and Emmanuel Grégoire is placed at 16% for the moment.
Emmanuel Grégoire on bad terms with Anne Hidalgo?
For her part, the mayor of Paris has not officially given up on a potential candidacy for 2026. According to a close source, in the event of withdrawal, she would further support the PS senator, Rémi Féraud, his relationship with Emmanuel Grégoire, who was his first deputy from 2018 to 2024, having deteriorated. She would criticize the latter for his proximity to Olivier Faure, during the last legislative elections where he presented himself under the NFP banner. However, according to Anne Hidalgo, the boss of the PS is responsible for his defeat in the 2022 presidential election. She would also not have appreciated him making an alliance with La France insoumise. However, if he is elected, Emmanuel Grégoire has announced that he would like to unite the left-wing forces, but without proposing an alliance to LFI.
“I accompanied her during her ten years at the head of Paris City Hall, with immense pride and great recognition,” Emmanuel Grégoire, for his part, underlined. Asked about his loyalty to Anne Hidalgo in making such a decision, the deputy assured that the latter had announced that she would only serve two terms. “I warned Anne Hidalgo of this decision, and she did not respond to my message,” Emmanuel Grégoire explained to Franceinfo. In the event of election, he assures that he wants to “continue” the “major transformations” started with the mayor of Paris. “I am not breaking with what we have done collectively in Paris. I will simply bring my touch, my experience and what I believe to be good for the city,” he added.