CEU Economic Seminar Series: Targeted Advertising in Elections

I study how an informed, office-motivated challenger convinces voters to elect him over the status quo with verifiable messages. I compare targeted advertising to public disclosure and show that by communicating with the voters privately, the challenger can win elections that are otherwise unwinnable. The challenger's odds of swinging unwinnable elections, as well as voter regret, increase as the electorate becomes more polarized.