“We must put strong words to horrible acts, otherwise our words are discredited, mocked, bogged down in Byzantine justifications, not up to the seriousness of the events. We are not the political, diplomatic, moral point of reference that we should be. » These words from François Ruffin in an interview with World on the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7 are surprising. Oh, not in substance: the LFI deputy for the Somme had already distanced himself from his group’s position on Twitter. And standing out from his group, he’s used to it in recent months. But in terms of form: “It doesn’t look like him at all. Usually good ideas come from him, but clearly not on these subjects,” assures us someone who has worked with him for a long time.
And it’s true that, until then, the deputy for Somme had a tendency to kick in as soon as we talked about international issues. As soon as we talked about things other than economic and social subjects in fact. But what could be more normal? François Ruffin is today a real presidential candidate on the left, almost the only one next to Jean-Luc Mélenchon. He himself does not say it as clearly but before the summer, he called for donations to build a team which should allow him to “change division” and play in the Champions League. In this context, gaining depth, becoming denser, opening up to the essential subjects of a presidential campaign but which were not until now its own is an imperative necessity.
The “needy”
François Ruffin “works”, François Ruffin is “needy”. It’s something that comes up a lot when we talk about him. In fact, between his first election as a deputy, in 2017, and today, the former journalist has transformed. Six years ago, he was one of the spearheads of the noisy strategy of La France insoumise, where the party, despite its 17 deputies out of 577, managed to make itself heard much more than many others. Today, within a group of 75 elected officials, now leader of the left without changing strategy, Picard appears as a reassuring element of moderation. From the football jersey to the podium of the Assembly to the president, there is a huge gap. But, for the moment “in the polls, it’s clear, something is sedimenting”, believes a close friend.
François Ruffin does not have the notoriety of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, far from it. But in a political-media world where it is terribly difficult for the majority to emerge, it is clear that it exists. Visiting the Livestock Summit in Clermont-Ferrand last week, three visiting rebellious MPs must have noticed that the name of François Ruffin came up among the exhibitors. “I believe that he is creating something solid in public opinion,” says a socialist executive who is not yet convinced by the approach. I see a Ruffin-mania beginning among elected officials, among left-wing activists but also people who are not at all politicized. »
Play it more collectively
“When we talk to people in the street, his name comes up very often. It is still not given to everyone to fill rooms almost everywhere,” notes, not dissatisfied, one of the rare rebellious deputies who can be described as a “ruffinist”. But why ? “He is in touch with the country which does not appear on TV,” judges a rural elected official from Nupes. He does not want the anger or the feeling of abandonment of this France to turn into food for Le Pen. He has the ability to bring the country together. »
Just that. Before, François Ruffin will have to “adjust his relationship with the collective”, even among his supporters some find him too personal. Confirmation of the “Ruffin-mania” that some describe will also have to involve overcoming the figure of Mélenchon. We wonder, in fact, if the success of François Ruffin’s esteem is not largely the windfall effect of offering an alternative to those who want as a common candidate of the left in 2027 anything but Mélenchon. Some ecologists, for example, only have the name of François Ruffin on their lips while he still remains one of the figures on the left who talks the least about ecology.
“At LFI, they want to kill him”
Others, moreover, do not fall under the spell. At the PS, where he also has quite a few aficionados, some executives think he left much too early. “You realize, there are four years left. Four years of having to interest journalists. They’ll rinse it out soon. Ruffin, I don’t find him strong enough. Quite tasteless, I think he has trouble,” believes one. “They say he’s getting ready but I don’t see anything,” remarks another who could nevertheless be seduced. We have the impression that he is alone and a little weak-willed: does he prefer to be an influencer or a leading role? » In any case, believes the same, the rest for François Ruffin must go through “an act of authority, he must understand that he no longer has anything to do at LFI. They want to kill him, they will never give him the keys to the truck.”
That’s where the bone is. Officially, in the wake of Jean-Luc Mélenchon who is very proud that his movement has two real presidential candidates, we welcome the breakthrough of François Ruffin. So, is the LFI management ready to run the Ruffin 2027 campaign? “It’s too early to answer, it’s a fictitious scenario for the moment,” said a party executive. What will the political configuration be? And then on what campaign orientation? François is seen as someone capable of expanding, but does he already have the scope of Jean-Luc Mélenchon? » The strategic choices strongly displease the most Mélenchonists: he wants to push his advantage in the working-class suburbs, Ruffin believes that the left’s reserves are in the rural working classes, who vote RN. In fact, each misstep of the putative candidate is severely punished by the rebellious leadership.
Like when last June François Ruffin got his feet wet during a morning interview on surrogacy (GPA), the change in marital status of trans people. In the name of “appeasement of society”, he considered that these subjects could wait, in contradiction with the program of La France insoumise. The Paris MP close to Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Sophia Chikirou, had criticized at least “an awkwardness” of her colleague, at worst “a mistake”. The next day, François Ruffin admitted his error by explaining that “on this subject, as on quite a few others, in all humility, I must progress”. This is the whole issue of “densification” that the MP must carry out. “Believe me, it happened to him once, he will do everything to make sure it doesn’t happen to him twice,” assures a relative.