[12] Šarec contested the 2017 presidential election, advancing to the runoff but narrowly losing to incumbent President Borut Pahor.

[16][1] In an interview with the weekly political magazine Mladina, Šarec argued against comparisons of LMŠ with Mayor Zoran Janković's Positive Slovenia and incumbent PM Miro Cerar's Modern Centre Party (SMC) which both emerged as preeminent political forces after being established just months prior to parliamentary elections.

He has spoken out in favour of judicial,[3] regulatory,[3][17] procedural, and electoral reforms (including the introduction of preferential voting,[17] and raising the parliamentary threshold to achieve more stable governments[3]), rectifying the inefficient healthcare system, and doing more to address climate change (including an expansion of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant).

[17] He has also expressed opposition to privatising infrastructural and strategic firms (and the complete privatisation of the banking sector), argued in favour of running a balanced budget and reducing the public debt (if this was allowed for by future economic growth), and reform of the pension system, including by promoting private pension schemes.

[9] On his electoral website, Šarec listed advocacy for public education and healthcare, environmental responsibility, intergenerational cooperation, transparency and meritocracy, and research and development as some of the integral components of his political vision.