Debout!

Background

In 2016, filmmaker and journalist François Ruffin announced his candidacy for the 1st constituency of Somme. His programme was inspired by La France Insoumise, the French Communist Party and Europe Ecology The Greens.

Ruffin qualified for the second round of voting with 24.32% of the vote behind Nicolas Dumont of La République en marche! (LREM) with 34.13% of the vote.. Going into the second round Ruffin received the support of La France Insoumise and the support of defeated incumbent, Pascale Boistard of the Socialist Party.

Francois Ruffin was elected in the 1st constituency of the Somme with 55.97% of the vote marking the first deputy to be elected for or supported by LFI in that election.

Picarde Debout!

With the launch of Ruffin's campaign, he also launched a new movement, Picardie Debout!, a left-wing regionalist movement.

In 2019, Picardie Debout! was registered as a political party, with Isabelle Guyot as its president.

In the 2022 French legislative election, Picardie Debout! presented two candidates in the Somme, Ruffin in the 1st constituency and Guillaume Ancelet in the 5th constituency.

Ruffin was re-elected with 61.01% of the vote and Ancelet lost to National Rally's Yaël Ménache in the second round with 39.21 of the vote.

In the 2024 French legislative election, Ruffin ran as the party's only candidate under the banner of the New Popular Front and won against the candidate of National Rally with 52.95% of the votes. However, he ran a second round campaign distancing and alienating himself from Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of La France Insoumise.

Debout! and break with La France Insoumise

After the legislative elections, Ruffin began associating himself with the rebellious deputies, Alexis Corbière, Clémentine Autain, Hendrik Davi and Danielle Simonnet, who had just formed a political party, L'Après, and joined the Ecologist Group with the other rebellious deputies.

In 2025, L'Apres, Debout! and the remnants of Ensemble! formed an electoral alliance, Rassemblement pour Gagner!

In June 2025, Ruffin launched Debout! in the 13th arrondissement of Paris as a nationalised version of Picardie Debout! with the hopes of forming a long-term left-wing alliance.

This announcement was also in preparation of the 2026 United Left primary where on the 26th of January 2026, Ruffin announced his candidacy for the Primary.

In the 2026 French municipal elections, former president of the party, Guillaume Ancelet was elected mayor of Rosières-en-Santerre. Multiple other mayors affiliated with, or supporters of the movement were elected.

The party also obtained multiple municipal councillors. It obtained councillors in Nantes and Amiens, amongst others.

Deputy Sophie Taillé-Polian of Generation.s joined the movement and Ruffin's presidential campaign as a spokesperson.