As the French presidential race came into full swing, a hacker stole sensitive data (including a list of the Jean-Marie Le Pen"s backers) stored in the National Front party headquarters" database, according to police reports. Le Pen, after placing second in the 2002 elections, needs 500 backers in order to run in the current race. He fears that his opponents may be trying to steal the list of potential and already acquired backers in order to persuade them not to sign on or to reverse their decisions – he has asked the police for help, after suspecting the possibility of a leak on his side. The investigation is still underway as La Pen is struggling to gain the 100 more backers by March 16, which he is required to have in order to run.