Hidalgo served as First Deputy Mayor of Paris under Bertrand Delanoë (2001–2014), having held the title of Councillor of Paris since the 2001 municipal election. She was elected to the mayoralty in 2014 after Delanoë announced he would not seek a third term. Her first term as Mayor of Paris was marked by the January 2015 "Charlie Hebdo" shooting and November 2015 Paris attacks, including the Bataclan theatre massacre which she witnessed the aftermath of first-hand. Her popularity declined following several instances of alleged mismanagement, to the point that polls showed a majority of voters did not want her to win a second term in 2020. First Deputy Mayor Bruno Julliard resigned in 2018, criticising Hidalgo's style of governance. In a context of COVID-19 pandemic that led to record-low turnout, especially amongst older voters traditionally aligned with right-wing parties, she was nevertheless reelected although failed to secure an absolute majority of the vote.