6. The FN Voters Under Jean-Marie Le Pen and Marine Le Pen

Using survey data on the FN vote in 2007 and 2012, This chapter highlights that the party’s vote base has not broadened as much as the FN’s membership after Marine Le Pen has taken over the party. Rather, the new FN could tap more successfully into its core basin, the working and lower middle classes; the gross of the FN vote stems from individuals with low education, workers and individuals who are dissatisfied with how democracy works in France. Beyond these groups, the FN under Marine Le Pen could make some gains among younger voters, and could strengthen its vote base in the countryside. Nevertheless, these limited gains illustrate that the FN has not become the catch all party in terms of electoral support it wishes to be.