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Next Episode
| Joshua Malina as | Will (William) Bailey | Vice President's Campaign Manager |
| Janel Moloney as | Donna (Donnatella) Moss | Russell Campaign Staffer |
| John Spencer as | Leo Thomas McGarry | Former Chief of Staff |
| Bradley Whitford as | Josh (Joshua) Lyman | Santos Campaign Manager |
| with Jimmy Smits as |
Matthew Vincente Santos | Rep. D-TX |
| Special Guest Stars | ||
| Gary Cole as | Robert "Bingo Bob" Russell | Vice President |
| Teri Polo as | Helen Santos | Matt Santos' Wife |
| and Tim Matheson as |
John Hoynes | Former Vice President |
| Guest Starring | ||
| Ray Wise as | Governor Tillman | Governor of California |
| Castulo Guerra as | Eddie Garcia | La Palabra |
| Michael Reilly Burke as | Bill Brewer | Hoynes Issues' Director |
| Karis Campbell as | Ronna (Beckman) | Santos' Aide |
| Matthew Del Negro as | Bram (Howard) | Santos Campaign Staffer |
| Larry Cahn as | Paul Hickman | Santos Campaign Finance Director |
| Co-Starring | ||
| Charles Noland as | Reporter #1 | Steve |
| Dalia Phillips as | Reporter #2 | |
| Tom W. Chick as | Reporter #3 | Gordon |
| Christine Avila as | Reporter #4 | |
| Randolph Brooks as | Reporter #5 | Lyle / Arthur Leeds |
| Ivan Allen as | Anchor #1 | Roger Salier |
| Penny Griego as | Anchor #3 | |
| Becky Meister as | Reporter #6 | Sally |
| Steven Meek as | Reporter #7 | |
| Alex Manette as | Reporter #8 | |
| John O'Brien as | Reporter #9 | |
| John Ross Clark as | Businessman | Hernia Truss Manufacturer |
| Darcy Shean as | Woman | Sue Bowen |
| Edward Escobar as | Man | "Lookalike" |
"What we're hoping to do is give the audience some insight into what the campaign process is about," Smits says.
"Can 'West Wing' build a bridge to the 21st century?"
by Bill Keveney
October 19, 2004
USA Today
Q: Characters on The West Wing are always playing elaborate practical jokes on each other. Is that something that happens on the set, too?A: Yeah, it definitely does. I'm usually the instigator, and it's usually something sophomoric involving some sort of ointment on someone's trailer door. We did have a really good one on Valentine's Day, though. Janel [Maloney, who plays Donna on the show] and I swiped some of Bradley Whitford's [who portrays Deputy Chief of Staff, Josh Lyman] personal stationery, and then ordered a gigantic bouquet of flowers to be delivered to Jimmy Smits's trailer. We included a note on the stationery that read "Every day on the set with you is a joy. Be My Valentine – Brad."
Q: Did Bradley find out what you had done?
A: No, but I think he was pretty surprised when Jimmy came up and gave him a big kiss on the set the next day.
"A West Wing-er's Washington"
by Monica Hesse
March 2005
On Tap
Smits credits Raul Julia and James Earl Jones as the actors who most influenced him in his career. It was "their ethnicity, the ability to break barriers that gave this young actor permission to aspire."His standing as a minority was something he and "West Wing" creator John Wells discussed when devising the current story arc.
Apparently, the two agreed that television might be a powerful force in reflecting or even fostering the country's readiness to see a minority candidate aim for the highest office.
As a longtime activist in Hispanic causes, Smits said the numbers and the current slate of Hispanic politicians nationally argue in favor of a prominent minority candidate emerging, and soon.
"I don't see a problem with that kind of transition happening in this country." Inevitably Hispanics, African-Americans and women are gaining top positions, he said. "We will probably see a woman candidate in the next major election aspire to a higher office," he said.
"Smits holds big lead in "West Wing" race"
by Joanne Ostrow
March 24, 2005
Denver Post
"I think John [Wells] got what he wanted in terms of going backstage in the (primary) campaign process" this season, he [Jimmy Smits] says.
"'The West Wing' wants you"
by Bill Keveney
April 5, 2005
USA Today
"It's been a civics lesson for me in a lot of ways," Smits says. "I love the research part of this job."The actor also enjoys the sense of having an impact on important discussions in society at large. A recent "West Wing" story line, he recalls, dealt with the controversial issue of whether illegal immigrants should receive driver's licenses. He recently talked to a California politician who commented on the plotline.
"When you hear that, you feel that besides giving entertainment value, you could affect people in a positive way," he says.
""West Wing" tries to become comeback kid"
by Gloria Goodale
April 6, 2005
Christian Science Monitor
Smits and "West Wing" showrunner John Wells met last year to talk about who Santos was and how the four-time Emmy-winning series would change gears, delving more into the political process of how a candidate navigates the presidential primaries."We spent time with the writers and talked about issues that were important to me and were important story ideas for Latinos, like immigration and education," he recalls. "If you have a Latino character from a state or district that has a heavy Latino population, those issues would naturally come up."
"New 'Wing' man ponders presidential politics"
by Stuart Levine
June 10, 2005
Variety
About those Valentine flowers ... : Call Smits a sap, but he thought Whitford was being genuine, albeit a little "intimate." He wasn't clued in for nine months. "I think that's what really got me hot under the collar," Smits says. "We're all working together and it takes nine months to admit it? But they were great flowers."
May 14, 2006
Washington Post