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The election of Josephine Pencalet to the Douarnenez city council in 1925 allows us to investigate one of the paradoxes of French political parties and institutions with regard to women. Following instructions from Moscow, the Communist Party had several female candidates run for municipal office in 1925, thus adopting a posture of defiance towards existing institutions, political parties and feminist organisations. While women still lacked political rights, the voters of this Breton port city, marked by strong socio-political conflict, elected a 38 year-old female worker to represent them. This election and its subsequent cancellation reflect inherent tensions behind the strategic uses of women in politics, both at the local and national level.