Center for the Study of Democracy

Data from U.S. presidential elections show that most third parties take extreme positions rather than positions between those of the major parties. This and other phenomena are explained with an extension of the Downsian model of elections. When parties choose not only positions, but also choose among which voters to campaign, then a small party may choose an extreme position to reduce the effectiveness of campaigns against it, and to induce a big party to campaign against another big party, rather than against itself.