Read the full article La France Insoumise After the Local Elections published by Jacobin.

Local elections saw La France Insoumise make its first real gains in taking over city halls. Ahead of the 2027 presidential race, it still badly needs to expand its voter base to have a chance of winning a national election.

The recent local elections across France offer a revealing snapshot of the balance of forces on the Left — and above all, of the position of La France Insoumise (LFI) as it looks toward the presidential elections in 2027. Rather than confirming a crisis or the hegemony of a particular tendency, the results point to a more complex reality. This is a socially dynamic party territorially advancing in some parts of France, yet unable to impose itself as a dominant force across the entire left.