The National Rally (Rassemblement national), an extreme-right political party in France, has fielded eight candidates for the upcoming senatorial elections on September 27. The candidates include Paul-Henry Hansen-Catta, Valéry Elophe, Patrick Le Fur, France Jamet, Mylène Wunsch, Virginie Joron, Valéry Deloge, and Patrice Martin. The party has faced criticism in recent years for the remarks of some of its candidates, particularly regarding environmentalists, Muslims, and the LGBTQ+ community. It has also been linked to the promotion of authoritarian regimes. In 2024, Jordan Bardella, the party’s president, acknowledged that some candidates had problematic views. Investigative journalism by outlets like Mediapart and Streetpress has uncovered hundreds of candidates with inflammatory or conspiratorial statements. In response, the National Rally claims to have become more cautious in vetting its candidates and has hired a digital reputation firm to monitor for racist, homophobic, or antisemitic content, as well as statements on the Israel-Palestine conflict and Russia under Vladimir Putin. Despite these efforts, several candidates have been identified with discriminatory posts, some of whom already hold local, national, or European mandates. In the Aisne department, Paul-Henry Hansen-Catta, a former journalist and hunting enthusiast, leads the National Rally’s list. He has worked for conservative publications like Valeurs actuelles and Le Figaro Magazine and edited a hunting magazine called Le Saint-Hubert. He has expressed strong opposition to environmental policies, stating in 1999 that he felt closer to an ultra-productive farmer using chemical products than to an environmentalist protecting land. He opposed the 2021 ban on fox hunting, despite criticism from the party’s former leader, Marine Le Pen. His list includes Claire Geronimi, a vice-president of the Union des droites pour la République (UDR), which is associated with the far-right group Némesis. In the Corrèze department, Valéry Elophe, a regional deputy, has made numerous inflammatory remarks, including calling "ecological terrorists" and expressing hostility toward Muslims and immigrants. He once accused ecological activists of "wallowing in submission" and claimed they were "controlled by bearded men." He also insulted union members participating in a peace demonstration after the Hamas attack on Israel in 2023, calling them "useless idiots and collaborators of Hamas." Despite this, the National Rally continues to support his candidacy. His alternate, Amélie Rebière, is associated with the Coordination rurale, an agricultural group known for opposing environmental policies and promoting an anti-state vision of rural life. In the Finistère department, Patrick Le Fur, a regional councilor since 2015, has made anti-migrant and anti-environmental statements. He once suggested that the Notre-Dame de Paris fire was criminal rather than accidental and shared a misleading video about migrant drownings. He has also criticized police actions, stating that if a teenager was killed after refusing to comply with an officer, it was "sad, but you stop when told to." In the Hérault department, France Jamet, a member of the European Parliament and daughter of one of the founders of the Front national, has opposed "punitive ecology" and criticized offshore wind power. She has been linked to controversial figures and has faced scrutiny over her ties to individuals associated with antisemitic groups. She is expected to continue her role in the European Parliament.