Previous research suggests that political parties respond to left-right policy positions of
successful foreign political parties that have recently governed (“foreign leaders”). We evaluate
whether this is an effective electoral strategy: do political parties gain votes in and office after
elections when they respond to successful foreign parties? We argue that following foreign
leaders allows parties to better identify the position of their own (domestic) median voter
position, which increases their electoral support. The analysis is based on spatial-econometric
and instrumental-variable model specifications of parties’ vote shares and whether they obtained
office. The results suggest that following foreign leaders is a beneficial election strategy in
national elections. The findings have implications for our understanding of political
representation, parties’ election strategies, and for policy diffusion