French Pundit Saps Le Pen’s Support in Election Poll

French far-right television pundit Eric Zemmour has increasing potential to take votes from nationalist candidate Marine Le Pen in a race to challenge President Emmanuel Macron in April’s elections, a poll shows.

Le Pen still leads Zemmour in all of the first-round scenarios tested in an Ipsos Sopra-Steria poll, but the gap is closing in early polling. Assuming Xavier Bertrand runs as candidate for the center-right, Zemmour’s share of the vote has risen to 15% from the 8% measured in early September, while Le Pen’s has fallen to 16% from 19%.