Historic First: French Presidential candidate Marine Tondelier gives birth on campaign trail

Marine Tondelier, leader of France's Green party and a candidate in the 2027 presidential race, announced Wednesday (Sep 23) that she has become a mother again, delivering a baby boy while continuing her campaign for the nation's highest office. The 40-year-old politician made history as the first French political candidate to campaign through pregnancy. She has said she hopes her experience will draw greater attention to issues surrounding infertility and motherhood in public discourse.

Her son, named Leon, was born on September 18 in the northern city of Lens. Tondelier told news agency AFP that she and her family chose to keep the news out of the public eye for several days following the birth. Notably, the delivery came just hours after she attended a significant gathering at the Elysee Palace, where President Emmanuel Macron cautioned French political leaders about potential Russian hybrid warfare threats.

Speaking to AFP, Tondelier described the birth as going smoothly and said she would need to adjust her working style as she navigates the demands of a presidential run alongside caring for a newborn with her child's wellbeing as her top priority.

Tondelier is already a mother to a seven-year-old son. Her candidacy for the Greens was formally confirmed on Monday, though the party has scheduled a decision for December on whether to continue backing her or shift support to another candidate from the left.

Current polling places Tondelier, who campaigns under the slogan “another Marine is possible”, a nod to far-right leader Marine Le Pen, well below five per cent support ahead of the first voting round.

Despite the recent birth, she intends to join a party video call Wednesday and has not ruled out attending a climate demonstration over the weekend, health permitting. The pregnancy was unplanned and followed a difficult period that included a miscarriage and multiple failed rounds of IVF and assisted reproduction, which had temporarily halted her hopes for another child. Throughout her pregnancy, she remained candid about the physical toll of campaigning, including bouts of morning sickness experienced while travelling by high-speed rail.

Writing on social media platform X after giving birth, Tondelier reflected on the balancing act ahead, noting it would also give her a platform to discuss the kind of future she wants for the country's children, as well as broader conversations around reproductive health and the postpartum struggles many women face.