Bruno Retailleau, a candidate for the French presidency from the Les Républicains (LR) party, has said he intends to continue his campaign all the way to the second round of the election, even as other prominent figures from the right and center also run. On Sunday, September 6, he dismissed the idea of uniting with Édouard Philippe, a former prime minister and candidate from the Horizons party, or Gabriel Attal, a former prime minister and candidate from the Renaissance party. Retailleau insisted that he would not withdraw from the race, stating, "I will go all the way to victory." He argued that his candidacy is based on a "break" from the political legacy of President Emmanuel Macron, whom both Philippe and Attal previously served. Retailleau, who previously served as Minister of the Interior in a government where the president and prime minister came from different parties (known as "cohabitation"), suggested that the right and center bloc would need to reach an agreement in the first round of the election. He acknowledged that not all current candidates might remain in the race, and he predicted that one of the candidates—likely either Attal or Philippe—would eventually rally support from the others. Despite discussions about potential unity, Retailleau ruled out his own withdrawal, saying he would fight "to the second round of the presidential election." The right and center bloc currently has five candidates competing for the presidency: Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal, both former prime ministers; Bruno Retailleau; David Lisnard, president of the Association of Mayors of France; and Xavier Bertrand, president of the Hauts-de-France region. In recent days, several figures, including Lisnard, former centrist defense minister Hervé Morin, and over 200 officials, have called for an open primary to select a single candidate from the bloc. This would aim to prevent a second-round matchup between Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally (RN) and Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the far-left France Insoumise (LFI), both of whom are seen as likely to reach the final round based on current polling. Retailleau has expressed skepticism about the idea of a primary, saying, "Today, I don't believe in it," though he added that he is not opposed to competition. His stance reflects the ongoing tensions within the right and center bloc as they navigate the challenges of uniting behind a single candidate in a crowded and fragmented field.