Can political candidates switch sides of the political spectrum?

It makes no sense in Hotelling's game.
6% (1 vote)
It can happen temporarily, if there are shocks in median voter preferences.
94% (15 votes)
It makes no sense with policy-minded politicians.
0% (0 votes)
Why not, if candidates just care about office.
0% (0 votes)
Total votes: 16
Background: 
The purpose of this question is to try to explain the paradox that two oposing candidates, A and B, with A being more leftist than B, switch sides of the political spectrum, so that candidate A is now more right-wing than candidate B or, which is the same, candidate B more leftist than candidate A. Is this compatible with rational choice theory?
Learning objectives: 
Understanding Hotelling's game.
Understanding the median voter theorem.
Understanding the differences and similarities between office-seeking and policy-seeking politicians.
Presentation videos: