France: Preview of a Candidate

When Gaston Defferre gives a jolly imitation of his great adversary—holding out his arms in the familiar, world-embracing gesture—the difference between the two men is at once clear.

Charles de Gaulle towers over people as an inspirational figure, and even his expressions of humor are somehow Alpine; Defferre stands solidly among people, with all the warmth and wit that stamp him a man of the Mediterranean.

As mayor of Marseille and the only declared challenger in France's next presidential election (which by the constitution must be held before the end of next year), Defferre visited the U.S. last week, called...