2012 François Hollande presidential campaign
President of the General Council of Corrèze and former First Secretary of the French Socialist Party François Hollande launched his campaign in March 2011 to become the Socialist and Radical Left Party candidate for the 2012 French presidential election and announced that he would be contesting the presidential primary. Hollande made the announcement that he was running for President following his re-election as a department executive. On 16 October 2011 he won the Socialist and Radical Left Party nomination with more than 56% of the votes over First Secretary Martine Aubry, following a long  campaign. On 22 April he topped the ballot in the first round of voting in the presidential election, and on 6 May he defeated the incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy in the second round run-off, becoming the new President of France. History. 2007 nomination. As the First Secretary of the Socialist Party François Hollande first openly considered running for the 2007 presidential election. Capitalizing on her popularity Ségolène Royal, his partner of 30 years and the mother of their four children was to take him the nomination. They had separated in 2006 and announced it publicly after the 2007 election. Resignation  as leader of the Socialist Party. Following Ségolène Royal's loss in the 2007 presidential election the defeat of the Socialists in the following legislative elections put the Socialist Party in disarray. Hollande announced that he would not seek another term as First Secretary of the party. He publicly declared his support for Bertrand Delanoë, the Mayor of Paris, although it was Martine Aubry who would go on to win the race to succeed him in 2008. Early stages. Hollande began his pre campaign in Lorient on 27 June 2009. Without personal announcement it was the first of many speech  where he would polish his image as a credible alternative to both Nicolas Sarkozy and the others socialist front figures, mainly Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Martine Aubry and Ségolène Royal. Announcement. François Hollande announced on 31 March 2011 that he will run for his party's nomination in the 2012 presidential race. Primary. In Socialist primary, Hollande won 39.17 percent of the votes followed by Martine Aubry, the party’s current leader who secured 30.42 percent. He won run-off stage of the primary with a 56.57% score over first secretary who received 43.43% of votes. Headquarters. The campaign is based  in Paris in 7th arrondissement. The building of 1,000 square meters is leased 40,000 euros per month. Potential Prime Ministers. Leader of the Socialist Group in the National Assembly Jean-Marc Ayrault, MP and former minister Michel Sapin, campaign manager Pierre Moscovici and Party Secretary Martine Aubry are favorites to be selected as Prime Minister of France if Hollande win. A poll showed that 50% of people believed Aubry should be given the job, followed by Moscovici on 17%, Laurent Fabius on 11%, Jean-Marc Ayrault on 10% and Sapin on 9%. In the final days leading up to the  Presidential election, two individuals were left on Hollande's final list for Prime Minister: Jean-Marc Ayrault and Martine Aubry. Polls. When he entered his candidacy he was very low in polls, but after the Dominique Strauss-Kahn sexual assault case Hollande was propelled to head of the polls for the remainder of the primary. Boosted by his victory, Hollande was constantly in mind in the first round and widely the projected winner against President Nicolas Sarkozy in a hypothetical runoff. Endorsements. Actors, singers and humorists Politicians (across party lines support)