President Trump says Paris attack will help Marine Le Pen in election

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The first round of the France's hotly contested presidential election is underway.

Polling agency projections show far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron leading in the first-round French presidential election.

This is a contentious election that resulted in violence on the streets of Paris.

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As a vote with global impact is underway in France and across the world, French citizens in the Bay Area lined up for hours Saturday to cast their ballot. "I think they're all decent candidates. It doesn't really matter who you vote for as long as you vote against Le Pen," Bay Area resident Jerome Crochat said.

Marine Le Pen said at her final rally that Islamist ideology cannot be spread in France.

President Trump told the Associated Press that Thursday's terrorist attack on the Champs-Elysees would probably help the far right candidate, whose campaign has been compared to Trump's as she promises to pull France out of the EU, and vows to crack down on immigration. "We're all about globalization and not creating borders and barriers and I feel like she's going to do the same and that's not something we like, we're a very international family," French citizen Nichol Garzon said.

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Garzon recently got her French passport and is voting in a French election for the first time. She supports Francois Fillon, a mainstream conservative candidate. "I think a lot of people are showing up because they don't want the same thing to happen to in France that's happened here with Trump and in the UK with Brexit," Garzon said.

Emmanuel Macron is leading the polls, just ahead of Le Pen.

The 39-year-old centrist formed a new party and has never held political office.

Former President Barack Obama called him to offer his support. "The main message I have is to wish you the best in the coming days," Obama said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.