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This paper studies the determinants of electoral campaign attacks. We first propose
a model to examine the main factors that influence candidates’ decisions to attack.
Our theoretical analysis yields a number of predictions which we test using information
from “right of reply” lawsuits filed in Brazil. Our empirical analysis exploits
a regression discontinuity design based on virtual ties between 2nd and 3rd place
candidates to show that candidates with an electoral advantage are more likely to
receive an attack. We then exploit another discontinuity to show that the patterns of
campaign attacks differ significantly under single and dual ballot plurality systems.
