Recent polling showed French residents have struggled to look past Ms Le Pen’s unforgiving domestic policies.
Following her Wednesday evening debate with Mr Macron, a snap poll of voters conducted by Elabe for BFM TV found she had chimed with voters.
She was more in tune with their concerns, but her “worrying” far-right votes eclipsed any popularity growth, it said.
Mr Macron, on the other hand, was judged “prone to bouts of arrogance” but otherwise more fit to be President.