You could argue that every endorsement is strategic. Very few are proffered without the expectation of something in return, be it as tangible as a position in a future administration (in the case of former opponents, or sitting senators), fundraising with the candidate (coveted by local legislators), or just the reflected glow of a successful election (county commissioners, party officials). Even so, you’re still expected to like the candidate you’re endorsing, or at least think they’re the best pick for the job. But that was before the 2016 race turned into a game theory experiment, where true feelings are set aside for the purpose of a single mathematical result.

When it comes to strategy, my comprehension ends at the old Prisoner’s Dilemma trick. So I called Kevin Zollman, an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University, who studies game theory and the philosophical underpinnings of strategy. He and I talked through the rules of the games being played on the national stage, and how they theoretically could be won.

The push and pull of being first

By now, it’s no longer surprising to see Chris Christie tagging along behind Donald Trump like a younger brother. But at the time of his endorsement, no one could believe it. Why would Christie, still tan from his time in the spotlight, tie himself so quickly to such a divisive candidate?

Zollman notes being among the first to endorse a candidate who is best positioned to win has its advantages. “You get more credibility,” he said. “I want to endorse early so I can say, ‘I was there first’ — the political version of being a hipster.”

But it comes with risks. “You might endorse a loser, or you might waste an endorsement,” he continued. “Think of those people who rushed out and endorsed Bush. They can come back and change their endorsement… but in a certain sense, they’ve lost the gain they got. They’re not going to get the same influence now.”

This might not be a problem for Christie. While he’s maintained a friendship with Trump for years, Zollman told me he and his colleagues suspect the New Jersey governor is actually aiming to attach himself to Trump’s movement—a groundswell of discontent that could reshape the Republican Party. That way, even if Trump loses, Christie still wins.

Collective ignorance

At the other end of the game is the #NeverTrump movement. Mitt Romney, the one-man army, has to tread carefully while arguing to voters that Trump is the wrong pick—because after all, many of them voted for him.

But the parable of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” could shed light on his approach. As written by Hans Christen Anderson, the tale relates the plight of a king hoodwinked by a charlatan, who claims to have crafted a robe so fine that only the most discerning eye can see it. The king, too embarrassed to admit he can’t see his new suit, parades around in the buff to the ooh’s and ah’s of his court; it’s left to a child to point out that the monarch is actually naked.