Electoral Strategies: Persuasion, Mobilization, and Centrism
DownloadAbstract:
What are successful electoral strategies? Should candidates try to persuade swing
voters or mobilize their base? We present a model that can address these and
related questions in a single uni
ed framework. We relate electoral strategies to the
characteristics of voting groups, with the answers to these questions sometimes being
surprising. We show how a candidate may have di¤erent ways of winning for given
characteristics of the electoral population, with possible discontinuitiesin electoral
positions that win elections. We believe that the model helps clarify some key issues
as well as presenting insights into some real-world experience.
