2026 Municipal Elections: Emmanuel Grégoire Wins the Socialist Primary in Paris, a Disavowal for Hidalgo

An activist shouts to the small crowd of socialist activists: "Anne Hidalgo has recognized Emmanuel Grégoire's victory!" A cheering cheer at the foot of the Rotonde Stalingrad on Monday evening. "We've come a long way," whispers a socialist official. A few moments earlier, shortly before midnight, the Parisian federation of the PS had just confirmed that Emmanuel Grégoire had won the socialist primary with 52.61% of the vote (807 votes), against 44.33% for Rémi Féraud (680 votes) and 3% for Marion Waller (46 votes).

The former first deputy mayor thus obtains the top spot on the Socialist list in Paris for the 2026 municipal elections. He also offers himself - even if he doesn't say so - a fine revenge on Anne Hidalgo in the heart of this scorching Parisian night, like the campaign: stifling from start to finish, so misunderstood and fratricidal was she for the Parisian Socialists.

Until the end, the mayor waged a vigorous campaign against her former first deputy, who was rather well-liked, even though she had taken him under her wing in 2018, when he succeeded Bruno Julliard. Long tipped to take over, privately endorsed by the mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire ended up falling out of favor at City Hall. The outgoing mayor criticized him for being in too much of a hurry, for seeking to emancipate himself too quickly, to the point of referring to a "betrayal" by his right-hand man.

Tensions had become so great that her number two took advantage of the dissolution in June 2024 to jump ship by getting himself elected as a Paris MP. A few months later, while confirming that she would not seek a third term, Anne Hidalgo officially supported Rémi Féraud's candidacy. No one saw it coming. "It's irrational," conceded a close friend of the mayor.

Behind the scenes, she's been urging district mayors to get involved for their fellow senator. During the final debate between the three candidates last week, she even took to the podium to defend her protégé. It wasn't enough. "I congratulate Emmanuel Grégoire on his nomination. Thank you to Rémi Féraud for his great campaign," she said in a very sober statement, just moments before the official results were released.

In front of the socialist activists, and in an effort to calm the situation, the former first deputy mayor had the mayor applaud. "I thank Anne Hidalgo. It was at her side that I learned to love Paris, that I learned that politics was made of convictions and determination. Her support will be essential for the future," he assured, while affirming that he will be "the defender of her record."

It remains to be seen what the mayor's attitude will be in the coming days. Until now, Anne Hidalgo has always made it clear that she would "do" whatever she "wanted" if Emmanuel Grégoire won the primary. Rémi Féraud's defeat, however, reveals her limited influence over the Parisian Socialist Federation, which she has supported since her first election in 2014. It's a sign of the beginning of the end of her reign, which will end in 2026.

If the party continued into the night in Paris on Monday night, "the hardest part begins," according to Emmanuel Grégoire. The new leader of the list knows that she won't have a clear path to City Hall. Her right-wing rival, Rachida Dati, is leading the way in voting intentions, with around 30% in the first round. On the left, the ecologists, the Insoumis, and the socialists are all neck and neck, between 15% and 20%.

"Starting tomorrow, we will organize a rally of the left to reinstate the leadership," promised Emmanuel Grégoire. "Unity, unity! " demanded the activists, even though the candidate has always maintained that he would refuse an alliance with La France Insoumise, in the first as well as the second round. "Once we have succeeded in uniting the left, we will confront the right, and the far right," hammered the new head of the Socialist list.