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World
Julian Sanchez, a key figure within France's National Rally, has been officially named campaign director for the 2027 presidential race.
Julian Sanchez has emerged as a central figure within the far-right National Rally party in France, having been officially appointed to manage the 2027 presidential election campaign. This appointment reflects the party's effort to maintain internal balance amid competition between the factions of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella.
French channels BFMTV and CNews reported that Sanchez, aged 42, was named director of the upcoming presidential campaign despite being known within the party as a low-profile individual who prefers quiet organizational work.
Sanchez joined the National Rally in 2000 at the age of sixteen, coming from a modest family in southern France. His father worked as a plumber and was a trade union activist with the General Confederation of Labour, while his mother leaned politically toward the Communist Party. Other family members supported the conservative Gaullist movement.
His political career began within the party by writing the weekly blog for the party's late founder, Jean-Marie Le Pen. He later grew closer to Marine Le Pen and took charge of digital communications and party organization.
French media identify 2014 as a turning point in Sanchez’s career when he won the mayoralty of Perpignan in the Gard department, one of the poorest areas in southern France. He was re-elected in 2020 in the first round with 59 percent of the vote before moving on to the European Parliament.
Party insiders describe him as a "disciplined soldier" who does not align with either the Le Pen or Bardella factions, making him a consensual choice to lead a campaign that may face internal disputes over the final presidential candidate’s identity.
Attention now turns to July 7, when the Court of Appeal will issue its ruling on the case involving European Parliament assistants. This decision will determine whether Marine Le Pen remains eligible to run in the presidential election or if Jordan Bardella will become the party’s official candidate.
Although the National Rally’s prospects have risen in opinion polls, Sanchez cautions against overconfidence, recalling the recent legislative elections where the party’s results disappointed despite early polling advantages.
