In the runoff, Hamon easily defeated Valls, beating the ex-PM by nearly 20 percentage points, and officially took the mantle as nominee of the PS in the 2017 presidential election.

His announcement reflected his high personal unpopularity and resentment among Socialist colleagues regarding remarks he made about cabinet members and other associates in the book Un président ne devrait pas dire ça... (A president should not say that...) by Gérard Davet and Fabrice Lhomme, journalists at Le Monde.

[18] On 17 December, the High Authority of the open primary declared that seven candidates qualified to appear on the ballot, including four from the Socialist Party – former Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Arnaud Montebourg, Benoît Hamon, and Vincent Peillon – the other three being François de Rugy of the PE, Sylvia Pinel of the PRG, and Jean-Luc Bennahmias of the PD.

[21] These themes were reflective of his combative tenure as economy minister, in which he threatened to nationalize divisions of ArcelorMittal and attempted but ultimately failed to prevent General Electric's partial acquisition of French multinational Alstom.

[22] Several other candidates also filed petitions to run in the primary, including Senator Marie-Noëlle Lienemann, Gérard Filoche, Fabien Verdier, and Pierre Larrouturou.

[28] Filoche, a trade unionist, failed to secure the necessary number of sponsors to enter the primary (though he attempted to lodge a challenge against the decision of the High Authority),[29] as did Verdier.

[35] Unveiling his platform on 3 January 2017, he proposed a 2.5% increase in public spending contingent on annual economic growth of 1.9% while keeping the deficit below the 3% of GDP requirement mandated by the Stability and Growth Pact, the creation a "decent income" of €800 for all adult French nationals, halving the gender pay gap in France, a "pause" in the enlargement of the European Union, the addition of a charter of secularism to the Constitution, and the consolidation of the nuclear industry.

We don't forgive it," a reference to his claim that he would abolish the constitutional provision he twice used to bypass legislative approval, during a visit to a Christmas market in Strasbourg.

[38] The second incident, on 17 January 2017, involved an apparent Breton nationalist who slapped him during a campaign stop in Lamballe; although Valls initially brushed the episode off, saying "it's nothing,"[39] he later made to press charges, saying "Democracy cannot be about violence.

"[40] Valls' most prominent opponent was initially considered to be former economy minister Arnaud Montebourg,[35] who formally unveiled his platform in Paris on 3 January.

The left-wing firebrand proclaimed that French employees should receive wage rises equivalent to executives' in order to constrain corporate pay and called for a "supertax" on banks to raise €5 billion a year.

"[41] He also pledged during the campaign that he would not comply with EU deficit rules, in contrast to Valls, embark upon an "economic patriotism" (described as protectionism by some observers), reserve 80 percent of government contracts for French small businesses, reinstate border controls, repeal the El Khomri jobs bill, defend small domestic businesses, warn that he might engage in a trade war against China, and support a €30 billion infrastructure plan.

Hamon has also decried "neoconservatives" and "even those on the left" who wished to restrict the rights of French Muslims, a less-than-subtle denunciation of Valls's hardline stance on immigration.

[24] His proposal for a universal income has been his signature policy; in the final primary debate, he insisted that it "creates work" and "allows employees to reduce their workdays, and it can further contract and eradicate poverty," and post-debate polls indicated left-wing voters consistently viewed Hamon as being the most convincing candidate.

[48] Meanwhile, Bennahmias, with just over 1% of the primary vote, did not initially endorse any candidate and expressed his intent to announce a decision on 25 January;[49] he ultimately backed Valls.

[53] On 22 February, François de Rugy announced his support for Emmanuel Macron, breaking the commitment requested of former candidates to back the winner of the primary, stating that he preferred "coherence to obedience," albeit acknowledging that Hamon was the legitimate nominee of the PS.

[58] Sylviane Alaux,[65] Alexis Bachelay,[65] Guillaume Balas,[65] Nathalie Chabanne,[65] Pascal Cherki,[65] Pierre Cohen,[66] Florence Delaunay,[65] Laurence Dumont,[65] Henri Emmanuelli,[67] Hervé Féron,[65] Jean-Pierre Godefroy,[65] Linda Gourjade,[65] Mathieu Hanotin,[65] Chaynesse Khirouni,[65] Serge Janquin,[65] Romain Joron,[65] Régis Juanico,[65] Georges Labazée,[65] Jean-René Marsac,[68] Édouard Martin,[69] Philippe Martin,[70] Michel Pouzol,[65] Marie-Line Reynaud,[65] Denys Robiliard,[65] Barbara Romagnan,[65] Gérard Sebaoun,[65] Isabelle Thomas,[65] Michel Vergnier,[65] Michèle Rivasi[65] Laurent Baumel,[65] Philippe Baumel,[65] Jean-Pierre Blazy,[65] Kheira Bouziane-Laroussi,[65] Henri Cabanel,[65] Laurent Cathala,[65] Jérôme Durain,[65] Aurélie Filippetti,[65] Yann Galut,[65] Daniel Goldberg,[65] Jérôme Guedj, Édith Gueugneau,[65] François Kalfon,[73] Patrick Lebreton,[65] Catherine Lemorton,[65] Christophe Léonard,[65] Michel Lesage,[65] Bernard Lesterlin,[65] Emmanuel Maurel,[65] Pierre-Alain Muet,[65] Philippe Noguès,[65] Christian Paul,[65] Patrice Prat,[65] Christophe Premat,[65] Cécile Untermaier[65] Éric Andrieu,[65] Kader Arif,[65] David Assouline,[65] Catherine Baratti-Elbaz,[74] Jacques Bascou,[75] Pervenche Berès,[65] Karine Berger,[65] Patrick Bloche,[65] Marie-Odile Bouillé,[76] Colette Capdevielle,[77] Marie-Arlette Carlotti,[65] Hélène Conway-Mouret,[65] Valérie Corre,[77] Karine Daniel,[76] Sébastien Denaja,[65] Jean-Paul Denanot,[77] Sandrine Doucet,[77] Rémi Féraud,[74] Christophe Girard,[74] Sylvie Guillaume,[65] Philippe Grosvalet,[78] Anne Hidalgo,[65] Bruno Julliard,[79] Didier Le Bret,[80] Jean-Yves Leconte,[77] Claudine Lepage,[77] Lucette Lousteau,[77] Jacques-Bernard Magner,[65] Martine Martinel,[77] Patrick Mennucci,[65] Philippe Naillet,[77] Philippe Nauche,[65] Alain Néri,[77] Gilles Pargneaux,[65] George Pau-Langevin,[65] Mazarine Pingeot,[81] Élisabeth Pochon,[65] Christine Revault d'Allonnes-Bonnefoy,[65] Valérie Rabault,[77] Marie Récalde,[82] Eduardo Rihan Cypel,[65] Claude Roiron,[83] Isabelle This Saint-Jean,[84] Alain Vidalies,[65] Jean-Jacques Vlody[77] Ibrahim Aboubacar,[65] Patricia Adam,[65] Michèle André,[65] Alain Anziani,[65] Nathalie Appéré,[65] Pierre Aylagas,[65] Audrey Azoulay,[65] Dominique Baert,[65] Guy Bailliart,[65] Dominique Bailly,[65] Gérard Bapt,[65] Ericka Bareigts,[65] Claude Bartolone,[65] Christian Bataille,[65] Delphine Bataille,[65] Nicolas Bays,[65] Catherine Beaubatie,[65] Claude Bérit-Débat,[65] Michel Berson,[65] Chantal Berthelot,[65] Alain Bertrand,[65] Gisèle Biémouret,[65] Yves Blein,[65] Maryvonne Blondin,[65] François Bonneau,[65] Nicole Bonnefoy,[65] Daniel Boisserie,[65] Pascale Boistard,[65] Yannick Botrel,[65] Florent Boudié,[65] Christophe Bouillon,[65] Brigitte Bourguignon,[65] Malek Boutih,[65] Émeric Bréhier,[65] Jean-Jacques Bridey,[65] Jean-Claude Buisine,[65] Sylviane Bulteau,[65] Alain Calmette,[65] Claire-Lise Campion,[65] Thierry Carcenac,[65] Christophe Caresche,[65] Martine Carrillon-Couvreur,[65] Françoise Cartron,[65] Luc Carvounas,[65] Jean-Yves Caullet,[65] Guy Chambefort,[65] Jacques Chiron,[65] Jean-David Ciot,[65] Alain Claeys,[65] Karine Claireaux,[65] Marie-Françoise Clergeau,[65] Jacques Cornano,[65] Jean-Jacques Cottel,[65] Jacques Cresta,[65] Pascale Crozon,[65] Roland Courteau,[65] Carlos Da Silva,[65] Yves Daudigny,[65] Pascal Deguilhem,[65] Guy Delcourt,[65] Michel Delebarre,[65] Carole Delga,[65] Jacques Dellerie,[65] Pascal Demarthe,[65] Françoise Descamps-Crosnier,[65] Harlem Désir,[65] Félix Desplan,[65] Michel Destot,[65] René Dosière,[65] Philippe Doucet,[65] Françoise Dumas,[65] William Dumas,[65] Jean-Louis Dumont,[65] Jean-Paul Dupré,[65] Yves Durand,[65] Josette Durrieu,[65] Olivier Dussopt,[65] Vincent Eblé,[65] Christian Eckert,[65] Myriam El Khomri,[65] Éric Elkouby,[65] Sophie Errante,[65] Martine Faure,[65] Alain Fauré,[65] Corinne Féret,[65] Geneviève Fioraso,[65] Hugues Fourage,[65] Valérie Fourneyron,[65] Michel Françaix,[65] Christian Franqueville,[65] Jean-Claude Fruteau,[65] Jean-Louis Gagnaire,[65] Catherine Génisson,[65] Dominique Gillot,[65] Éliane Giraud,[65] Jean Glavany,[65] Yves Goasdoué,[65] Marc Goua,[65] Laurent Grandguillaume,[65] Élisabeth Guigou,[65] Didier Guillaume,[65] David Habib,[65] Claude Haut,[65] Odette Herviaux,[65] Joëlle Huillier,[65] Monique Iborra,[65] Françoise Imbert,[65] Michel Issindou,[65] Éric Jeansannetas,[65] Patrick Kanner,[65] Antoine Karam,[65] Marietta Karamanli,[65] Bernadette Laclais,[65] Bernard Lalande,[65] Jack Lang,[93] Jean-Yves Le Bouillonnec,[65] Gilbert Le Bris,[65] Anne-Yvonne Le Dain,[65] Jean-Yves Le Déaut,[65] Jean-Yves Le Drian,[65] Jean-Marie Le Guen,[65] Marie-Thérèse Le Roy,[65] Bruno Le Roux,[65] Marie Le Vern,[65] Dominique Lefebvre,[65] Patrick Lemasle,[65] Cindy Léoni,[94] Jean-Claude Leroy,[65] Serge Letchimy,[65] Michel Liebgott,[65] François Loncle,[65] Jeanny Lorgeoux,[65] Gabrielle Louis-Carabin,[65] Jean-Jacques Lozach,[65] Victorin Lurel,[65] Roger Madec,[65] Philippe Madrelle,[65] Hermeline Malherbe,[65] Christian Manable,[65] François Marc,[65] Jean-Pierre Masseret,[65] Rachel Mazuir,[65] Juliette Méadel,[65] Michel Ménard,[65] Kléber Mesquida,[65] Danielle Michel,[65] Ségolène Neuville,[65] Nathalie Nieson,[65] Robert Olive,[65] Michel Pajon,[65] Georges Patient,[65] Rémi Pauvros,[65] Germinal Peiro,[65] Daniel Percheron,[65] Marie-Françoise Pérol-Dumont,[65] Sébastien Pietrasanta,[65] Jean-Vincent Placé,[65] Napole Polutele,[65] Pascal Popelin,[65] Dominique Potier,[65] Joaquim Pueyo,[65] François Pupponi,[65] Dominique Raimbourg,[65] Daniel Raoul,[65] Claude Raynal,[65] Daniel Reiner,[65] Pierre Ribeaud,[65] Alain Richard,[65] Stéphanie Riocreux,[65] Sylvie Robert,[65] Alain Rodet,[65] Marcel Rogemont,[65] Gilbert Roger,[65] Laurence Rossignol,[65] Gwendal Rouillard,[65] René Rouquet,[65] Alain Rousset,[65] Jean-Yves Roux,[65] Boinali Saïd,[65] Michel Sapin,[65] Odile Saugues,[65] Gilbert Sauvan,[65] Gilles Savary,[65] Thani Mohamed Soilihi,[65] Jean-Pierre Sueur,[65] Simon Sutour,[65] Catherine Tasca,[65] Jean-Louis Tourenne,[65] Stéphane Travert,[65] Jean-Jacques Urvoas,[65] René Vandierendonck,[65] Daniel Vaillant,[65] Jacques Valax,[65] Najat Vallaud-Belkacem,[65] Yannick Vaugrenard,[65] Fabrice Verdier,[65] Michel Vergoz,[65] Patrick Vignal,[65] Jean-Michel Villaumé,[65] Évelyne Yonnet,[65] Source: [1] Archived 2012-04-07 at the Wayback Machine [2] Archived 2017-04-02 at the Wayback Machine Twenty-four applications were filed with the High Authority for the left-wing primary, but not all were made public; of these, several were disqualified for not securing enough sponsors under the rules of the primary.