Front derailleur has too much resistance
The FD needs to have a firm spring, because it has to operate against the full chain load when pedalling.  By comparison, the RD operates on a piece of chain under no tension, and the RD is putting the tension on that length.

So you need to check the inner cable that runs from the handlebar shifter down to the FD mech.  If its bright-shiny silvery then that's good, but if its dull and rusty then that's not good.  A new inner cable is cheap, a little fiddly to fit, and will "bed in" over the first month of use.

Second is the outers - could be someone's fitted a new inner cable but not changed the outer(s) and they're scraggy on the inside.  You should be able to feel this when pulling the inner back and forth with your hands.

Finally - the handlebar shifter.  Its not unknown for them to clagg up with rust.  They're reasonably expensive to replace.  More-so if yours is integrated into your brake lever.  Needs to be the same number of speeds as the rear cassette.