Marine Le Pen, the parliamentary leader of the National Rally (RN), has returned to her political heartland of Hénin-Beaumont in northern France for a carefully staged visit aimed at steadying a party that has stumbled out of the blocks this autumn. The former presidential candidate, who has represented the Pas-de-Calais constituency since 2017, chose the former mining town to project an image of rootedness and continuity, even as internal tensions and strategic missteps have clouded the start of the new political season.
The visit comes at a delicate moment for the RN. While Le Pen herself continues to lead in opinion polls for the 2027 presidential election, her party has faced a series of self-inflicted wounds, including public disagreements over strategy and a series of gaffes by younger members of parliament. The decision to hold a rally in Hénin-Beaumont, a town that has become synonymous with the party's rise under Le Pen's leadership, is widely seen as an attempt to reset the narrative and remind both activists and the wider electorate of the movement's working-class roots.
A symbolic return to the base
Hénin-Beaumont, once a bastion of the left, has been transformed over the past two decades into a National Rally stronghold, with Le Pen winning the local constituency in every legislative election since 2012. The town's post-industrial landscape, marked by closed coal mines and high unemployment, has become a potent symbol of the economic anxieties that fuel the party's appeal. By choosing this venue, Le Pen is signalling that the RN remains anchored in the concerns of ordinary French citizens, even as it seeks to broaden its electoral coalition.
During her visit, Le Pen met with local activists and small business owners, and delivered a speech in which she sought to refocus attention on her core themes: purchasing power, immigration, and national sovereignty. She also took aim at President Emmanuel Macron's government, accusing it of neglecting the regions and of pursuing policies that benefit only the urban elite. "The France that works, the France that struggles, is not in Paris," she said, in remarks that were met with applause from the assembled crowd.
The choice of Hénin-Beaumont is also a response to internal critics who have accused Le Pen of drifting towards a more moderate, catch-all approach that risks alienating the party's traditional base. By returning to the town that made her political career, she is reasserting her authority and reminding her rivals within the RN that she remains the undisputed leader. The visit is part of a broader effort to project unity ahead of the European Parliament elections, where the RN is expected to perform strongly but faces competition from both the far-right rival Reconquête and a resurgent centre-right.
Polls and pitfalls
Despite the turbulence, Le Pen's personal standing remains robust. Recent surveys place her at the top of the first-round voting intentions for the 2027 presidential race, ahead of other potential candidates from both the left and the right. However, the RN's parliamentary group has been plagued by controversies, including a series of social media posts by young deputies that were widely criticised as xenophobic or anti-Semitic, forcing Le Pen to publicly distance herself from the remarks. These incidents have provided ammunition to her opponents and have complicated her efforts to present the RN as a credible, governing alternative.
The visit to Hénin-Beaumont is therefore as much about internal discipline as it is about external messaging. Le Pen used her speech to call for "exemplarity" among her elected officials, and to stress that the party must remain focused on its core mission of defending the French people. She also sought to draw a contrast with the political establishment, which she accused of being out of touch with the realities of life in places like Hénin-Beaumont.
Political analysts note that Le Pen's strategy of returning to her stronghold is a classic damage-control manoeuvre, designed to reassure the party faithful and to project an image of calm and control. "It's a way of saying: I am still the one who can win, and I am still the one who understands the people," said one commentator. The move also allows Le Pen to dominate the news cycle, overshadowing the internal squabbles that have dominated recent headlines.
The broader European context is never far from the surface. Le Pen's visit comes as far-right parties across the continent are seeking to consolidate their gains ahead of next year's European elections. In Germany, the AfD's recent victory in Saxony-Anhalt has emboldened the party, even as it faces internal debates about its direction. Le Pen has sought to position the RN as a leading force in a new European alliance of nationalist parties, but she has also had to navigate the fallout from controversial statements by some of her allies, including the Hungarian prime minister's overtures to Moscow.
For now, the immediate task is to steady the ship. The Hénin-Beaumont visit is a reminder that, for all the talk of a new, more respectable National Rally, the party's electoral base remains rooted in the deindustrialised towns and rural areas of France. Le Pen's ability to hold this coalition together, while appealing to new voters, will be crucial in the coming months. As she left the stage, the crowd chanted her name, a sign that, at least in this corner of northern France, her authority remains unchallenged.
