Can Francois Fillon survive?

He looked like a shoo-in to be France's next president. Now he's struggling to keep his head above water.

Francois Fillon may not have a political career for much longer.
(Image credit: REUTERS/Christian Hartmann)

Back in November, François Fillon, a former prime minister of France, won the conservative primary in the race towards the French presidential election. It was a smashing upset, and he looked like a shoo-in for the general election. After five years of a deeply unpopular socialist government, the French people looked set for change.

But Fillon's moment in the spotlight quickly went from blessing to curse.

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Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry

Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry is a writer and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His writing has appeared at Forbes, The Atlantic, First Things, Commentary Magazine, The Daily Beast, The Federalist, Quartz, and other places. He lives in Paris with his beloved wife and daughter.