Eric Baker
Encyclopedia
Eric Baker, played by Ed O'Neill
, is a recurring character during the final two seasons of the American television series The West Wing. He is the fictional Democratic
Governor of Pennsylvania
.
Originally, Governor Baker appears as the frontrunner for the party's presidential
nomination in the 2006 election, and he is said to be leading in the polls in both the Iowa caucus
and the New Hampshire primary
. Eventually, though, he announces in November 2005 that he will not seek the nomination for family reasons. Former White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry
speculates at the time that Baker might not want to face off against Senator Arnold Vinick
of California
, who is then seeking the Republican Party
's presidential nomination. Vinick and Baker are old friends; Baker was a staffer for the Senate Judiciary Committee when Vinick was a freshman senator.
Prior to the Democratic National Convention
in San Diego
, which is expected to be deadlocked, Baker is offered the vice presidential nomination by Vice President Bob Russell
, who believes that making Baker his running mate will bring him enough delegates from Pennsylvania and other states to defeat Texas
Congressman Matt Santos
and former Vice President John Hoynes
for the nomination. Russell also believed that having Baker on the ticket was a necessity in order retain Pennsylvania
and other blue states that would become more marginal due to Vinick's moderate stance.
Instead of accepting second place on a ticket headed by Russell, however, Baker decides that he would offer himself from the floor as a candidate for the nomination on the second ballot. Blue-and-white placards emblazoned with the words "Draft Baker" flood the floor of the convention (presumably thanks to Baker's operatives) as the first ballot's voting winds to a close, and Baker announces his intention to accept this "draft" to reporters on the convention floor. Almost immediately, a stampede of delegates to Baker, which come from all three of the other candidates, eliminate Hoynes from consideration and create a virtual tie between Russell, Santos, and Baker.
By the second day of the convention, Baker has taken the lead in the balloting and seems to be well on his way to taking the nomination by the following morning. However, the media is abuzz with reports that Baker's wife Dorothy had been twice hospitalized for clinical depression
. His failure to disclose that fact when he was under consideration for the vice-presidential nomination and when he presented himself as a candidate stalls Baker's momentum, and the convention enters its third day without a clear nominee.
During the third day of balloting, Santos's rousing address to the convention, combined with behind-the-scenes machinations by President Josiah Bartlet
and former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman
, the manager of Santos's campaign, shifts the momentum to Santos. He then defeats Russell, Hoynes, and Baker for the nomination. Not wanting to subject his wife to further public scrutiny, Baker again declines the vice presidential nomination when Santos and Josh Lyman offer it to him. Santos then selects Leo McGarry
, who had repeatedly demanded that Santos drop out of the race for the sake of party unity, as his running mate. In the run up to the election, Baker (along with several other Democratic governors) campaigned for the Santos/McGarry ticket.
Following the death of McGarry on Election Day, Santos chooses Baker for the Vice Presidency, eventually deciding to submit Baker's name to Congress under the terms of the 25th Amendment, rather than asking the Electoral College to vote for him. The series ends without stating whether Baker is confirmed, but Santos is confident that he will be confirmed due to his plan to threaten the Republican Senate with an electoral college vote in order to make them promise a quick confirmation, and due to the presence and influence of Arnold Vinick in his cabinet, who has agreed to be his new Secretary of State.
Ed O'Neill
Edward Phillip "Ed" O'Neill, Jr. is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the main character, Al Bundy, on the Fox Network sitcom Married... with Children, for which he was nominated for two Golden Globes...
, is a recurring character during the final two seasons of the American television series The West Wing. He is the fictional Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Governor of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Originally, Governor Baker appears as the frontrunner for the party's presidential
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
nomination in the 2006 election, and he is said to be leading in the polls in both the Iowa caucus
Iowa caucus
The Iowa caucuses are an electoral event in which residents of the U.S. state of Iowa meet in precinct caucuses in all of Iowa's 1784 precincts and elect delegates to the corresponding county conventions. There are 99 counties in Iowa and thus 99 conventions...
and the New Hampshire primary
New Hampshire primary
The New Hampshire primary is the first in a series of nationwide political party primary elections held in the United States every four years , as part of the process of choosing the Democratic and Republican nominees for the presidential elections to be held the subsequent November.Although only a...
. Eventually, though, he announces in November 2005 that he will not seek the nomination for family reasons. Former White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry
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...
speculates at the time that Baker might not want to face off against Senator Arnold 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...
of 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...
, who is then seeking the Republican Party
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...
's presidential nomination. Vinick and Baker are old friends; Baker was a staffer for the Senate Judiciary Committee when Vinick was a freshman senator.
Prior to the Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
in San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, which is expected to be deadlocked, Baker is offered the vice presidential nomination by Vice President 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...
, who believes that making Baker his running mate will bring him enough delegates from Pennsylvania and other states to defeat Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Congressman Matt 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 former Vice President John Hoynes
John Hoynes
John Hoynes is a fictional character played by Tim Matheson on the American television series The West Wing. Hoynes is Vice President of the United States during the first four seasons of the show....
for the nomination. Russell also believed that having Baker on the ticket was a necessity in order retain Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and other blue states that would become more marginal due to Vinick's moderate stance.
Instead of accepting second place on a ticket headed by Russell, however, Baker decides that he would offer himself from the floor as a candidate for the nomination on the second ballot. Blue-and-white placards emblazoned with the words "Draft Baker" flood the floor of the convention (presumably thanks to Baker's operatives) as the first ballot's voting winds to a close, and Baker announces his intention to accept this "draft" to reporters on the convention floor. Almost immediately, a stampede of delegates to Baker, which come from all three of the other candidates, eliminate Hoynes from consideration and create a virtual tie between Russell, Santos, and Baker.
By the second day of the convention, Baker has taken the lead in the balloting and seems to be well on his way to taking the nomination by the following morning. However, the media is abuzz with reports that Baker's wife Dorothy had been twice hospitalized for clinical depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
. His failure to disclose that fact when he was under consideration for the vice-presidential nomination and when he presented himself as a candidate stalls Baker's momentum, and the convention enters its third day without a clear nominee.
During the third day of balloting, Santos's rousing address to the convention, combined with behind-the-scenes machinations by President Josiah Bartlet
Josiah Bartlet
Josiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet is a fictional character played by Martin Sheen on the television serial drama The West Wing. He is President of the United States for the entire series until the last episode, when his successor is inaugurated...
and former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman
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...
, the manager of Santos's campaign, shifts the momentum to Santos. He then defeats Russell, Hoynes, and Baker for the nomination. Not wanting to subject his wife to further public scrutiny, Baker again declines the vice presidential nomination when Santos and Josh Lyman offer it to him. Santos then selects Leo McGarry
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...
, who had repeatedly demanded that Santos drop out of the race for the sake of party unity, as his running mate. In the run up to the election, Baker (along with several other Democratic governors) campaigned for the Santos/McGarry ticket.
Following the death of McGarry on Election Day, Santos chooses Baker for the Vice Presidency, eventually deciding to submit Baker's name to Congress under the terms of the 25th Amendment, rather than asking the Electoral College to vote for him. The series ends without stating whether Baker is confirmed, but Santos is confident that he will be confirmed due to his plan to threaten the Republican Senate with an electoral college vote in order to make them promise a quick confirmation, and due to the presence and influence of Arnold Vinick in his cabinet, who has agreed to be his new Secretary of State.
See also
- The West WingThe West Wing (TV series)The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999 to May 14, 2006...
- List of characters on The West Wing
- List of politicians on The West Wing
- List of The West Wing episodes