Game theory primary
Game theory becomes an important considering in a crowded primary, such as the Republican nominating process for the 2016 presidential election. A total of 17 candidates (as of August 2015) vie for support, which requires considerations of game theory before criticizing rivals.
Only four of the 17 candidates have been initially willing to criticize Donald Trump, lest they lost potential support among supporters of Trump. Those four candidates are Rand Paul, Rick Perry, Carly Fiorina, and Lindsey Graham.[1] The first two perhaps hope to take support away from Donald Trump as a rival; the latter two perhaps hope to gain support from those who dislike Trump.
Whom does Donald Trump help?
One theory, advanced at the Powerline blog, is that the candidacy by Donald Trump helps Jeb Bush.[2]
NH primary
In the NH primary, mavericks running in one party, such as the Democratic Party, can weaken the support for a maverick running in the other party, such as the Republican Party, because Independent voters are allowed to vote in the primary of either party.