Seeing right through the campaign: Candidate dynamics in the 2016 French primary elections of the right and center using the la Boussole présidentielle® VAA

Drawing on a dataset collected through the online Voting Advice Application (VAA) of La Boussole présidentielle®, this article analyses the dynamics in the first ever primary election campaign of the French right and centre. Our analyses show that, in a context of substantial within-party polarization between candidates, François Fillon emerged as a middle-ground candidate between the relatively centrist Alain Juppé’s and the more radical right-wing stances of Nicolas Sarkozy. The article also highlights the pre-eminence of François Fillon’s image, and in particular his ability to appear “presidential” during the campaign, a major factor for his victory. Such conclusions emphasise the significance of campaign dynamics over policy issues in primary elections.