Hénin-Beaumont

In the end, the Front National did not win in Hénin-Beaumont, but it came close. This narrow escape has emboldened some in the Front Républicain ("ripou-blicain" according to FN ticket leader Steeve Briois, who shares Le Pen's liking for puns in bad taste) to see a continuation of the party's decline. I prefer to see a warning of the kind of electoral trouble that could arise in other places if the economic downturn continues to worsen.