A region president declared for 2022 - Xavier Bertrand - and two others in ambush - Valérie Pécresse and Laurent Wauquiez -, this is how we could summarize the starting line for the presidential race at LR.
The presidents of Ile-de-France and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes have chosen a different strategy from that of Xavier Bertrand: to ensure their re-election in their stronghold before speaking presidential.
But they think about it.
DECRYPTION
Xavier Bertrand is putting the turbo in for his presidential campaign.
He gave an interview in
Le Point on
Thursday with his first proposals and is Sunday the guest of the
Grand Rendez-vous
on Europe 1. While the president of Hauts de France occupies the field, two other presidents of regions are stamping behind the scenes for 2022 : Laurent Wauquiez and Valérie Pécresse.
At Les Républicains, no one has the slightest doubt: they have not given up anything, and are just waiting for the end of the regional sequence to consider what to do next if the circumstances are favorable to them.
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Support from Valérie Pécresse makes no secret of this: "2022? Of course she's thinking about it!".
The tone is the same when we pronounce the name of Laurent Wauquiez in front of a leader of LR who has fun: "I would be hard pressed to say that he is not thinking about it."
Always think about it, never talk about it.
The adage is well suited for these two presidents of regions.
They may have only the regional in their mouths, the presidential election is not far away.
"Elected officials turn to Laurent Wauquiez"
The proof with Laurent Wauquiez who has resumed contact with the LR barons, like Gérard Larcher, or Bruno Retailleau.
He spoke with the president of the LR group in the Senate on Tuesday evening.
Yet it had been 18 months since Laurent Wauquiez had moved away from national politics, since he had to leave the presidency of LR in 2019 in the wake of catastrophic European elections (8.48% of the vote for the list led by François-Xavier Bellamy).
"He had quite a cut," says one of his relatives, "but people are asking to see him."
One of his lieutenants says that "since Christmas, elected officials have turned to Laurent Wauquiez, telling him 'we need you, a real right-wing candidate'".
Valérie Pécresse also focuses on her region but "she has not given up anything", according to one of her lieutenants.
Its regional campaign allows it to refine its network.
She multiplies the visios with parliamentarians from Ile-de-France, MEPs included, and spoke this weekend with hundreds of right-wing women elected in the region.
"She makes a great file for herself," one of them laughs.
A file which is intended to be used in good time.
"Give priority to Bertrand who is at 14%? A joke"
If Xavier Bertrand is ahead, he is not yet seen as the "natural candidate" to which the right aspires.
A lieutenant of Valérie Pécresse is categorical: "Give priority to Bertrand who is at 14%? It's a joke!"
Still, the strategies are different: the president of Hauts de France is leading two campaigns, local and national.
The president of Île-de-France and her alter ego of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, they do not want to skip the steps and have a prerequisite: ensure their re-election in their stronghold before considering the presidential election.
Hoping for a bonus to the best elected as a booster, any defeat being obviously eliminatory.
One of Laurent Wauquiez's relatives, contacted by Europe 1, even finds "cavalier enough on the part of Bertrand to give the impression that he has nothing to do with regional".
A relative of Valérie Pécresse finds for his part "out of step to talk about the presidential election while the health situation is out of control".
Both want to make good crisis management students.
Xavier Bertrand wants him to try to win before the other two are released from the regional.
"He has to kill the game while he can do it," said one of his supporters.
Clearly, while he is alone on the track.