Timothee Houssin spends his Friday nights dashing between towns and villages in Normandy attending as many local celebrations and events as possible. Smartly dressed in suit and tie, the French politician is seeking to cement his place in the district he won by fewer than 500 votes in 2022.
The 35-year-old is proud of what he’s achieved so far, helping constituents navigate state bureaucracy and championing their concerns in the National Assembly over a lack of doctors in the Eure region. But Houssin, a representative of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party, believes he is on a mission that goes beyond regional borders.
National Rally, the reborn version of the National Front, is best known for its history of far-right nativism and far-out economic policies on the margins of French politics.