A Citizen-Candidate Model with Sequential Entry

Abstract

We consider a sequential entry model with three candidates who cannot commit any policy announcement. The study focuses on how a minor candidate, who only wins when unopposed, influences the electoral outcome. We show that unless the Condorcet winner (i.e., the winner in every pairwise vote) coincides with the grand winner (i.e., the winner of the three-candidate competition), the minor candidate is a kingmaker in the sense that his preferred rival wins regardless of the order of the entry decisions. To influence the outcome, the minor candidate could either (i) strategically enter without any chance to win, or (ii) enter if and only if the Condorcet winner has already entered.