diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/Leadership.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/Leadership.java
index 5f3a9ef..d063a19 100644
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/Leadership.java
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/Leadership.java
@@ -16,24 +16,46 @@
 package org.onosproject.cluster;
 
 import java.util.Objects;
+import java.util.List;
 
 import org.joda.time.DateTime;
 
 import com.google.common.base.MoreObjects;
+import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
 
 /**
- * Abstract leadership concept.
+ * Abstract leadership concept. The information carried by this construct
+ * include the topic of contention, the {@link NodeId}s of Nodes that could
+ * become leader for the topic, the epoch when the term for a given leader
+ * began, and the system time when the term began. Note:
+ * <ul>
+ * <li>The list of NodeIds may include the current leader at index 0, and the
+ * rest in decreasing preference order.</li>
+ * <li>The epoch is the logical age of a Leadership construct, and should be
+ * used for comparing two Leaderships, but only of the same topic.</li>
+ * </ul>
  */
 public class Leadership {
 
     private final String topic;
     private final NodeId leader;
+    private final List<NodeId> candidates;
     private final long epoch;
     private final long electedTime;
 
     public Leadership(String topic, NodeId leader, long epoch, long electedTime) {
         this.topic = topic;
         this.leader = leader;
+        this.candidates = ImmutableList.of(leader);
+        this.epoch = epoch;
+        this.electedTime = electedTime;
+    }
+
+    public Leadership(String topic, NodeId leader, List<NodeId> candidates,
+            long epoch, long electedTime) {
+        this.topic = topic;
+        this.leader = leader;
+        this.candidates = ImmutableList.copyOf(candidates);
         this.epoch = epoch;
         this.electedTime = electedTime;
     }
@@ -55,12 +77,23 @@
     }
 
     /**
+     * Returns an preference-ordered list of nodes that are in the leadership
+     * race for this topic.
+     *
+     * @return a list of NodeIds in priority-order, or an empty list.
+     */
+    public List<NodeId> candidates() {
+        return candidates;
+    }
+
+    /**
      * The epoch when the leadership was assumed.
      * <p>
-     * Comparing epochs is only appropriate for leadership
-     * events for the same topic. The system guarantees that
-     * for any given topic the epoch for a new term is higher
-     * (not necessarily by 1) than the epoch for any previous term.
+     * Comparing epochs is only appropriate for leadership events for the same
+     * topic. The system guarantees that for any given topic the epoch for a new
+     * term is higher (not necessarily by 1) than the epoch for any previous
+     * term.
+     *
      * @return leadership epoch
      */
     public long epoch() {
@@ -83,7 +116,7 @@
 
     @Override
     public int hashCode() {
-        return Objects.hash(topic, leader, epoch);
+        return Objects.hash(topic, leader, candidates, epoch);
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -95,6 +128,7 @@
             final Leadership other = (Leadership) obj;
             return Objects.equals(this.topic, other.topic) &&
                     Objects.equals(this.leader, other.leader) &&
+                    Objects.equals(this.candidates, other.candidates) &&
                     Objects.equals(this.epoch, other.epoch) &&
                     Objects.equals(this.electedTime, other.electedTime);
         }
@@ -106,6 +140,7 @@
         return MoreObjects.toStringHelper(this.getClass())
             .add("topic", topic)
             .add("leader", leader)
+            .add("candidates", candidates)
             .add("epoch", epoch)
             .add("electedTime", new DateTime(electedTime))
             .toString();
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/LeadershipEvent.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/LeadershipEvent.java
index 4eaf686..ac0036e 100644
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/LeadershipEvent.java
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/LeadershipEvent.java
@@ -46,7 +46,14 @@
          * Signifies that the leader has been booted and lost leadership. The event subject is the
          * former leader.
          */
-        LEADER_BOOTED
+        LEADER_BOOTED,
+
+        /**
+         * Signifies that the list of candidates for leadership for a resource
+         * has changed. If the change in the backups list is accompanied by a
+         * change in the leader, the event is subsumed by the leadership change.
+         */
+        LEADER_CANDIDATES_CHANGED
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/RoleInfo.java b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/RoleInfo.java
index a02cda9..f7ffc9b 100644
--- a/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/RoleInfo.java
+++ b/core/api/src/main/java/org/onosproject/cluster/RoleInfo.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Objects;
+import java.util.Optional;
 
 import com.google.common.base.MoreObjects;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
@@ -27,21 +28,22 @@
  * master and a preference-ordered list of backup nodes.
  */
 public class RoleInfo {
-    private final NodeId master;
+    private final Optional<NodeId> master;
     private final List<NodeId> backups;
 
     public RoleInfo(NodeId master, List<NodeId> backups) {
-        this.master = master;
+        this.master = Optional.ofNullable(master);
         this.backups = ImmutableList.copyOf(backups);
     }
 
     public RoleInfo() {
-        this.master = null;
+        this.master = Optional.empty();
         this.backups = ImmutableList.of();
     }
 
+    // This will return a Optional<NodeId> in the future.
     public NodeId master() {
-        return master;
+        return master.orElseGet(() -> null);
     }
 
     public List<NodeId> backups() {
@@ -74,7 +76,7 @@
     @Override
     public String toString() {
         return MoreObjects.toStringHelper(this.getClass())
-            .add("master", master)
+                .add("master", master.orElseGet(() -> null))
             .add("backups", backups)
             .toString();
     }
diff --git a/core/api/src/test/java/org/onosproject/cluster/RoleInfoTest.java b/core/api/src/test/java/org/onosproject/cluster/RoleInfoTest.java
index 172b6f5..6a4f968 100644
--- a/core/api/src/test/java/org/onosproject/cluster/RoleInfoTest.java
+++ b/core/api/src/test/java/org/onosproject/cluster/RoleInfoTest.java
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@
 import org.junit.Test;
 
 import com.google.common.collect.Lists;
+import com.google.common.testing.EqualsTester;
 
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
-import static org.junit.Assert.assertNotEquals;
 
 /**
  * Test to check behavioral correctness of the RoleInfo structure.
@@ -39,14 +39,20 @@
     private static final RoleInfo RI1 = new RoleInfo(N1, BKUP1);
     private static final RoleInfo RI2 = new RoleInfo(N1, BKUP2);
     private static final RoleInfo RI3 = new RoleInfo(N2, BKUP1);
+    private static final RoleInfo RI4 = new RoleInfo(null, BKUP2);
+
+    @Test
+    public void testEquality() {
+        new EqualsTester()
+        .addEqualityGroup(RI1, new RoleInfo(new NodeId("n1"), Lists.newArrayList(N2, N3)))
+        .addEqualityGroup(RI3);
+    }
 
     @Test
     public void basics() {
         assertEquals("wrong master", new NodeId("n1"), RI1.master());
         assertEquals("wrong Backups", RI1.backups(), Lists.newArrayList(N2, N3));
-
-        assertNotEquals("equals() broken", RI1, RI2);
-        assertNotEquals("equals() broken", RI1, RI3);
+        assertEquals("wrong empty master", RI4.master(), null);
 
         List<NodeId> bkup3 = Lists.newArrayList(N3, new NodeId("n4"));
         assertEquals("equals() broken", new RoleInfo(N1, bkup3), RI2);