Bourg-en-Bresse ain: Benoît de Boysson tests 'union of the right' as social media campaign ramps up
In the ain department, the municipal campaign in Bourg-en-Bresse has shifted into a two-front push: Benoît de Boysson is formalizing a local union of right-leaning forces while the city’s mayoral hopefuls take their contests onto social networks.
Local calculus in ain
Benoît de Boysson, a 44-year-old lawyer who sits on the national bureau of his party and who ran in the 2022 legislative race in the department, is leading a list called "Bourg Ambition" for the municipal ballots on March 15 and March 22, 2026 (ET). On Nov. 5, 2025 (ET) he marked a visible advance for his project by publicly welcoming the endorsements and ralliements of two local figures from the traditional right: Pierre Lurin, a vice-president of the departmental council, and Marie-Jo Bardet, a long-serving opposition municipal councillor. The move is being presented by his camp as a concrete implementation of a broader call for an "union of the right" at the municipal scale.
How the union of the right is playing out on the ground
The alliance has changed the tactical map in a city of roughly 42, 000 residents. De Boysson’s list is using the new local alignment to frame a unified platform and to attract additional LR sympathizers who had previously been divided. That realignment is already visible in campaign events at the covered market and in neighborhood outreach, where de Boysson has sought to contrast his positions with long-time mayoral incumbent Jean-François Debat.
Debat, who has governed since 2008, remains a strong first-round contender and has chosen a different strategy for online engagement: he posts selective material and keeps a tighter moderation policy to limit what he describes as toxic exchanges. Other candidates, by contrast, are more active and visible across social networks, posting photos, short videos and candidate roll calls to amplify their messages and recruit volunteers.
Digital campaigning intensifies as votes approach
The social networks dynamic is a second major development shaping the race. Four of the five mayoral contenders are actively using social platforms and dedicated websites to present their programs and teams, solicit feedback and circulate short campaign clips. That digital visibility is influencing daily momentum: posts and videos are drawing comments — some anonymous, some hostile — and campaigns are responding with a mix of direct engagement, content pushes and stricter comment moderation.
For de Boysson, the online push is complementary to his fieldwork: public events and the November ralliements have been amplified through targeted digital content aimed at consolidating right-leaning voters under the newly forged local coalition. The combined approach—public endorsements from LR figures and an active presence on social networks—has produced fresh media attention and has forced other camps to refine both their message and their moderation tactics.
What to watch next
In the coming weeks, the campaign will be measured on two counts: whether the local union anchored by de Boysson and his new LR backers can sustain momentum through coordinated messaging, and whether social networks continue to shape voter perceptions rather than merely reflect street-level campaigning. With the March 15 and March 22, 2026 (ET) election dates approaching, both fronts look set to remain decisive in determining who will lead Bourg-en-Bresse for the next term.
