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Glucksmann faces challenge winning French young voters after Socialist primary

Deutsche Welle reports that Melenchon leads among under-25 voters in polling, a challenge for Raphael Glucksmann after his Socialist primary win.

Updated Oct 18, 2026 · 14:07 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • Raphael Glucksmann, an MEP from the small center-left Place Publique rather than the Socialists, won the Socialist presidential primary on October 11 with 66%.[Deutsche Welle]
  • A Toluna Harris Interactive poll, published after the primary, projected Glucksmann at 10–11% versus 18% for Jean-Luc Melenchon, but it was conducted before his win.[Deutsche Welle]
  • In a September Ipsos survey, Melenchon led among under-25s at 41%, ahead of Marine Le Pen at 20%, posing a challenge for Glucksmann with young voters.[Deutsche Welle]
  • An unidentified assailant flour-bombed Glucksmann after his victory, and it is unclear whether the attacker backed Melenchon's La France Insoumise.[Deutsche Welle]

Key facts

  • Raphael Glucksmann won the Socialist presidential primary on October 11 with 66% of the first-round vote, becoming the Socialist candidate for the 2027 presidential election.[Deutsche Welle]
  • Glucksmann is an MEP who belongs to the small center-left party Place Publique, not the Socialist Party.[Deutsche Welle]
  • A Toluna Harris Interactive poll, published the day after his win, projected Glucksmann at 10–11% and Melenchon at 18%; the survey was conducted before the primary.[Deutsche Welle]
  • The 2022 Socialist presidential candidate Anne Hidalgo won 1.75% of the national vote, a figure the reported 10% projection would exceed.[Deutsche Welle]
  • In a September Ipsos survey, Melenchon scored 41% among voters under 25, compared with 20% for Marine Le Pen.[Deutsche Welle]
  • According to political scientist Antoine Bristielle's analysis for the Fondation Jean-Jaures, Melenchon's most loyal supporters are often young, educated city-dwellers under financial pressure.[Deutsche Welle]

What remains uncertain

  • It is unclear whether the unidentified attacker who flour-bombed Glucksmann was a supporter of Melenchon's La France Insoumise.[Deutsche Welle]
  • The Toluna Harris projections predate the primary and do not account for any potential boost from Glucksmann's nomination.[Deutsche Welle]
  • Bristielle's estimate that just under a third of left-wing voters prioritize a left-wing victory over party allegiance is an analytical estimate from one study.[Deutsche Welle]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.