Political renewal and the frontier of politics. A sociology of candidates for the 2020 French municipal elections in urban areas

This article examines political renewal and the frontier of politics based on a survey of the main lists of candidates for the 2020 municipal elections in a major French city. It studies the social conditions of eligibility in urban areas from a localized and multidimensional perspective, attentive to the long term. Compared to the previous elections, candidates are less often from the political field and are more inexperienced in electoral contests. The strong presence of novices in electoral politics highlights the recruitment channels from partisan circles and the edges of local politics. By highlighting both the socially situated recruitment of candidates and the polarization of the candidate space with respect to their social properties, the analysis captures the space of competition for power and the definition of the frontier of politics.