Plot

With the election fourteen days away and both candidates polling even in California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, both the Santos

Matt Santos

Matthew Vincente "Matt" Santos is a fictional character on the American television show The West Wing, played by Jimmy Smits. His initial appearance is as a Democratic U.S. Representative from Houston, Texas. According to West Wing writer and producer Eli Attie, Santos was based on the then...

 and Vinick

Arnold Vinick

Arnold Vinick is a fictional character on the television series The West Wing played by Alan Alda.-Biography:A Republican senator from California and Republican presidential nominee, he is narrowly defeated by Democrat Matt Santos in the 2006 presidential election, with Vinick winning the popular...

 campaigns scramble to the state to try to gain earned media

Earned media

Earned media refers to favorable publicity gained through promotional efforts other than advertising, as opposed to paid media, which refers to publicity gained through advertising...

 from public events. Sheila, Vinick's assistant in previous episodes, had stepped down in favor of hard line right winger, Jane. She is there to pull voters from the Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 base. But it's Vinick who single-handedly rescues his campaign by making the decision to have a no-time-limit press conference in front of the San Andreo nuclear power plant. Santos has his own events in California that get completely overshadowed as Vinick confidently answers hours worth of questions about the near-meltdown, his role in getting the plant constructed, nuclear regulation, etc. The reporters eventually run out of anything else to ask him; Toby Ziegler

Toby Ziegler

Tobias Zachary 'Toby' Ziegler is played by Richard Schiff on the television serial drama The West Wing. For most of the series' duration he is White House Communications Director.-Creation and development:...

 (who is informally advising Josh

Josh Lyman

Joshua "Josh" Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama The West Wing. For the majority of the series, he was White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the Josiah Bartlet administration...

) says "Damn, this guy is good", and Vinick heads back to the trail with an enormous boost.

Vinick, whose hand is broken by constant handshakes, then catches a much more enjoyable break when Bruno discovers Santos' briefcase in a holding room and accidentally opens it thinking it's Vinick's. Vinick and Bruno must make a difficult decision; Do they open the case and use its contents against the owner or take the high road and give it back to Santos? In the briefcase: evidence which suggests that the Congressman

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 may be supporting an illegitimate child. Vinick asks to meet with Santos where the Congressman denies the allegation, stating that he was making up for the mistakes of his unreliable brother. We also learn from the contents of the briefcase that Santos has been keeping a journal and is not happy with Leo

Leo McGarry

Leo Thomas McGarry is a fictional character played by John Spencer on the television serial drama The West Wing. The role earned Spencer the 2002 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. McGarry's character, the former United States Secretary of Labor, begins the series as the White...

's performance as Vice Presidential candidate, as well as having strongly negative feelings about Vice President

Vice President of the United States

The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...

 Bob Russell

Bob Russell (The West Wing)

Robert 'Bingo Bob' Russell is a fictional character played by Gary Cole on the television serial drama The West Wing.After the resignation of Vice President John Hoynes due to a sex scandal in May 2003, the Bartlet Administration was forced to replace him with another Democrat...

.

External links

• The West Wing Episode Guide