Their former champion Dominique Strauss-Kahn might be out of the presidential race but the Socialists are looking optimistic about next year's presidential election. Incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy has just taken a hammering in Senate elections.
France's left seized the Senate from the right in indirect elections in late September, taking the majority of seats in the upper house of parliament. Many in France are unhappy with Sarkozy's leadership and his successes on the foreign policy stage have done little to change their minds. But observers expect tactical voting to play a role in the upcoming election - efforts to prevent a victory for far-right leader Marine Le Pen might result in sudden shifts in loyalty.