Laurent Wauquiez Secures Support of Christian Jacob in Republican Presidency Race
Laurent Wauquiez has gained the backing of former Republican party president Christian Jacob in his bid to become the party’s leader. Jacob’s endorsement comes after he highlighted the unity of his political family in an internal message to party members.
"After knowing him for a long time, I know that Laurent has the strength, energy, and legitimacy to rebuild our movement. I know that he will convey our convictions clearly on all subjects…," wrote the former deputy of Seine-et-Marne, who served as the group’s president in the National Assembly three times, a position currently held by Laurent Wauquiez.
In this one-page message, Christian Jacob also emphasized his candidate’s "total independence" from François Bayrou and Emmanuel Macron. "With him, you will decide," added the former parliamentarian, believing that Laurent Wauquiez would give the party members a direct voice through "referendums" or by ridding the LR of the "poison of the primary," which he had often denounced as a divisive mechanism.
Among the qualities he attributed to his candidate, Christian Jacob praised a "fighter," recalling that the former president of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region had notably assumed responsibility for "cutting subsidies to the Grenoble city council" when it wanted to "authorize the burkini in municipal swimming pools." He concluded by stating that on May 17, against the "predetermined stories," the party members would have the final say, deciding between him and Bruno Retailleau. "You and no one else will decide," concluded Christian Jacob.
Laurent Wauquiez’s entourage praised the stance taken by the former LR leader. "Christian is the purest embodiment of loyalty and fidelity in politics. He has a real emotional connection with party members, a relationship that sometimes dates back to the battles fought alongside Jacques Chirac," they enthused, before taking a jab at the opposing camp, where Bruno Retailleau has already secured the support of several prominent right-wing figures: "For an LR party member, this is clearly support that does not fall into the same category as Copé or Bertrand…"
Since Bruno Retailleau and then Laurent Wauquiez entered the race, the daily parade of endorsements has continued unabated. At this stage, both candidates prioritize avoiding the risk of a leadership war that could deteriorate the climate within the Republican party. But with less than three months to go before the deadline, the internal campaign has kicked off at full speed. And everyone expects a fierce competition as the deadline for submitting applications to the LR party’s High Authority is set for March 18 at 6:00 PM.
