LAUSR

Minor parties in American politics often struggle to gain support due to the phenomenon of strategic voting, as they rarely field viable candidates. However, in several US states, fusion (a process by which multiple parties may nominate the same candidate) averts this obstacle by allowing minor parties to cross-endorse major-party candidates. Although major parties are known to perceive these fused ballot lines as electorally advantageous, their value in terms of additional votes for fusing candidates has not yet been systematically studied. Focusing on US House of Representatives elections in New York (where fusion is prevalent) between 1952 and 2014, I demonstrate that, under certain conditions, fusing with minor parties improves major-party candidates’ electoral performance by substantial—and, occasionally, electorally decisive—amounts.