"When they won here, I said: 'I don't know if you can do any better but you can't do any worse,'" Jean-Antoine recalled.
"People want change."
An antiques dealer in his 60s, who declined to be named, said: "People will still vote for Le Pen because there's massive pressure for change.
Immigration, benefits, healthcare – none of that works. Her legal case feels unfair; a leftwing politician wouldn't have been treated this way."
Montargis was a site of the gilets jaunes protests and saw unrest in 2023 after police killed Nahel Merzouk.
The RN's gain from the traditional right reflects Le Pen's 15-year effort to detoxify the party's image while maintaining hardline anti-immigration policies.
Divided Perspectives on the Campaign Trail
Gisèle, 84, a retired gymnastics coach, said fear of crime and drug-dealing is rising. She is glad Le Pen is running but believes the conviction could hinder her.
"I think this could put a brake on her," she said.
Le Pen's candidacy means party president Jordan Bardella will not run. Christiane, a chiropodist, expressed disappointment: "Bardella is young, close to the people.
I like Marine Le Pen, but is France really going to elect a president with a conviction?"
Céline, a pharmacist and centrist voter, said: "I don't think it's right to run for president if you have been convicted."
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Selma, 48, whose Tunisian grandfather fought for France in WWII, fears Le Pen's campaign is polarizing people.
