France’s Florida: Retired, rich and ready to vote far right

Wealthy voters fear something bigger than taxes is threatening their lavish lifestyle.

POLITICO’s reporters are speaking to voters to find out what will convince them to head to the ballot box (or not) in the European election in June.

FRENCH RIVIERA — On the famed Croisette promenade in Cannes, retired French boomers have temporarily reclaimed the stretch of shore that is taken over by celebrities and tourists during the summer months. Here, Europe is something almost no one wants to talk about.

“It’s simple: I only care about women, fishing and les boules,” said one elderly man, referring to pétanque (a game similar to bocce ball), as he watched the sunset with two ladies and their little dogs, who were all wearing fancier clothes than POLITICO’s reporter — dogs included.

While he was not even aware of the upcoming European election — in which nearly 450 million voters across 27 countries are eligible to cast ballots — the elderly Frenchman, who asked not to be identified, said if he were going to vote, he would back the far-right National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen.

This sprawling southeast corner of France, the Côte d’Azur or French Riviera has for decades been a stronghold of the political right, thanks in part to an aging demographic and built on nationalist ideology stemming from the 1960s return of French settlers from Algeria.