[2][3][4] The Le Pen–Mélenchon duel attracted international media attention,[5][6][7] including for what it revealed of attitudes and expectations in an area of northern France hit hard by deindustrialisation and unemployment.

[8][9][10] The Guardian wrote that, in that regard, "Mélenchon blames what he sees as pernicious free-market capitalism and bankers; Le Pen points the finger at immigrants and Europe".

In 1993, the seat went to the French Communist Party member Rémy Auchedé; Marcel Cabiddu, winning unopposed in the second round, took it back for the Socialists in 1997; he was re-elected in 2002.

This left only Marine Le Pen, who finished second by less than half a percentage point in the 2012 election, and Anne Roquet of President Emmanuel Macron's recently created En Marche!

[15] A debate was organised among the five main candidates (Kemel, Le Pen, Mélenchon, Tondelier, and Urbaniak) on the regional edition of the France 3 television channel.