communicators, strategists, potential ministers… Who surrounds Marine Le Pen during her campaign?

Behind Marine Le Pen, who would govern France in the event of victory? For her third presidential candidacy, Marine Le Pen relies on a very largely renewed campaign team compared to 2017. The president of the RN (who stepped back from this function for the time of the campaign) this time called on advisers and more technocratic strategists and less politically radical than five years ago. Choices that find their echo in the strategy of demonization pursued for several years.

Marine Le Pen’s close guard, essentially male, is made up of loyal elected officials, but also sometimes younger elected officials who have become figures of the new National Rally in a few years, such as Jordan Bardella or Sébastien Chenu. Only a few days before the second round of the presidential election, immersed in the Le Pen galaxy version 2022.

Philippe Olivier, the thinking head

He is Marine Le Pen’s closest adviser. Considered the main architect of the demonization of the candidate, this man in the shadows, who joined the National Rally in 2015, is the director of the party’s “Ideas and images” cell. Philippe Olivier is one of those who convinced the finalist in the presidential election to soften his most radical positions and change the name of the party.

“Philippe really allowed us to enter another dimension. De-demonization is really him”, provides an RN executive. Married to Marie-Caroline Le Pen, the big sister of the candidate, he is also the father of Nolwenn Olivier, the current companion of Jordan Bardella. In 1998, he distanced himself from Jean-Marie Le Pen and joined Bruno Mégret, then Philippe de Villiers and Nicolas Dupont-Aignan. Philippe Olivier finally returned home to become the eminence grise of the campaign.

Marie-Caroline Le Pen, the organizer

In this campaign, Marine Le Pen’s big sister is responsible for organizing her travels. She also ensures that the candidate’s schedule is not too busy so that she can have time off, unlike the 2017 campaign. At 62, the former regional councilor for Ile-de- France, which had followed her husband, Philippe Olivier, in the ephemeral presidential adventure of Bruno Mégret at the end of the 1990s, finally chose to return to family sources. Country employee, the one her sister calls “Caro”, has always preferred to remain in the shadow of his sister and his presidential destiny.

Christophe Bay, the great artificer

It is a new face in the entourage of Marine Le Pen. This former prefect of Aube and Dordogne succeeded David Rachline as campaign manager. Former deputy chief of staff to Brice Hortefeux at the Ministry of the Interior a dozen years ago, Christophe Bay is responsible for planning the highlights of the candidate’s campaign, but also for cleaning up the ranks as at outside the party. “He is really a great professional who helps us a lot in this campaign. We have moved upmarket thanks to him compared to 2017″, entrusts franceinfo with an RN executive.

The candidate did not hesitate to call on this enarque, known for his character “choleric” and “his expensive lifestyle”as told The world in a portrait. In 2016, an administrative investigation noted that the operating budget of the residence of the prefect of the Dordogne had exploded by 94%, and pinned restaurant bills exceeding 4,000 euros over one year. Following this affair, the left in power had put an end to the functions of Christophe Bay.

Jean-Philippe Tanguy, the right arm

Former number two of Nicolas Dupont-Aignan in Debout la France, Jean-Philippe Tanguy is today the deputy campaign director of the RN candidate. He got closer to Marine Le Pen during the negotiations between the two rounds of the 2017 presidential election, between his former boss and the finalist of the ballot.

At 36, Jean-Philippe Tanguy is now in charge of programmatic elements, but also communication campaigns such as “Marine, stateswoman”, a slogan that can be seen on the candidate’s posters since February. A resolutely more “technocratic” profile and much less marked politically. Just like that of Marine Le Pen’s chief of staff, Renaud Labaye, a former graduate of Saint-Cyr and HEC.

Caroline Parmentier, the communicator

She is the other important female figure in the campaign with Marie-Caroline Le Pen and Florence Goulet, in charge of all the travels of the candidate. Former editor-in-chief of Herean extreme right-wing daily in which she worked for thirty years, Caroline Parmentier succeeded Alain Vizier as press manager for Marine Le Pen.

This 56-year-old mother, who has always defended radical political positions, was notably mandated to try to ease tensions between the RN and journalists. But Caroline Parmentier sometimes goes beyond her duties: in January in Madrid, when MEP Nicolas Bay refused to support Marine Le Pen during a duplex, she let him go: “You are nothing without Marine”, as the story goes The world. A loyalty that earned him the congratulations of the boss.

Sébastien Chenu, the confidant

The RN deputy from the North is one of the spokespersons for Marine Le Pen in this campaign, but he is above all the ear of the candidate. Sébastien Chenu participated in numerous working meetings on the overhaul of the party and on the new strategy of demonizing Marine Le Pen. Former member of the UMP which he left in 2016 to join the National Front, he gradually gained the confidence of the president of the RN, who entrusted him with the head of the list. in Hauts-de-France during the last regional elections. His name circulates with insistence to enter the government, possibly the Ministry of Labour, in the event of victory for Marine Le Pen on April 24, just like the MEP Hervé Juvin for Ecology. In Justice, Marine Le Pen intends to appoint MEP Jean-Paul Garraud, as she confirmed on France Bleu on Monday April 18.

Jordan Bardella, the ambitious

The young interim president of the National Rally is also one of the loyal and faithful executives on whom Marine Le Pen relies. The 26-year-old MEP, who became known during the 2019 European elections, has since led the RN list in Ile-de-France during the last regional. He also aspires to enter the government if his candidate were to win the presidential election. “Jordan Bardella has the perfect qualities to become a minister”even assured Marine Le Pen in a recent interview with Figaro. Very comfortable on television sets, he is promised a bright political future within the RN.

Steve Briois, the local landmark

Faithful among the faithful, the mayor of Hénin-Beaumont (Pas-de-Calais), historic electoral stronghold of the National Rally, is very present in this presidential campaign. Participating in almost all trips alongside the candidate, the local elected official does not occupy the function of spokesperson for the party, unlike other rising heads such as Julien Sanchez, mayor of Beaucaire (Gard), or Laurent Jacobelli, regional councilor in the Grand Est. But Steeve Briois is actively raking the ground, especially in Hauts-de-France, to attract as many voters as possible into the nets of the far-right candidate.

“Marine Le Pen chose purchasing power as the central theme, and I can tell you that in my region, this means a lot to people. It was really the right choice”, he assures. Two other town councilors also wet the shirt a lot in this campaign: Louis Aliot and David Rachline, respectively mayors of Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales) and Fréjus (Var). They too could recover a ministerial portfolio.

The experts of “Horaces”, the confidential club

Former ministerial advisers, enarques or even senior civil servants … Since 2016, Marine Le Pen has ensured that she is advised by this confidential club made up of experts on all subjects, which calls itself “Les Horaces”. These are anonymous people who help the candidate in particular to prepare for her debate between the two rounds against Emmanuel Macron, next Wednesday. “They have drawn up very precise thematic sheets and are working on the image that the candidate will have to send back to the 16 or 17 million French people who will be in front of their screens for this big meeting”confides to franceinfo a close friend of Marine Le Pen.