When Cantor was aligning himself with the Tea Party right, and Boehner was trying to reach a Grand Bargain with the White House, Boehner deputized Cantor to enter into budget negotiations with Vice-President Joe Biden.

NEWYORKER: The House of Pain

If the left fails to win, France would enter into a period of "cohabitation", in which the presidency and the lower house are controlled by political rivals.

BBC: France in parliamentary election key to Hollande agenda