I think I've seen this one before

Many who know me know that I am a huge West Wing fan and have seen every episode of the show several times. That being said, it’s not surprising that I often see things in the actual news that remind me of a plotline from the show; and I’m sure I’m not the first person to make this observation, but this year’s election cycle is eerily similar to the election cycle that was portrayed in the last two seasons of the West Wing. So here is a list of similarities between the show’s election and this year’s real-life election:

Democratic Primary Candidates:
The West Wing: Party heavy weight and current Vice President Bob Russell had a huge lead going into the primaries; former Vice President John Hoynes was seen as a major contender early on; Junior Congressman Matt Santos is a young, minority candidate whose upstart campaign relied heavily on his message of Change and grassroots efforts amongst young voters
2008: Party elder Hillary Clinton was seen as the front runner going into the primaries; former Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards was seen as a major contender; Barack Obama is a young, minority candidate whose campaign is based on a message of change and whose lead in national polls is largely due to support amongst young voters

Republican Primary Candidates:
The West Wing: Longtime, western Senator Arnold Vinick campaigned on his moderate viewpoints and maverick tendencies; the last major candidate to withdraw was the darling of the evangelical right and minister
2008: Longtime, western Senator John McCain has campaigned on his moderate viewpoints and calls himself the original maverick; the last major candidate to withdraw was Gov. Mike Huckabee whose support came largely from evangelicals and

Democratic Primary Results:
The West Wing: Going into the primary there is no presumptive nominee however after a fourth candidate enters the race on the convention floor Santos delivers an electric speech that unites the party behind him as the nominee; Hoynes was practically a non player in the party by the time of the convention due to a sex scandal
2008: The primary fight lasted until the last primary though it was settled before the convention, some Clinton supporters were hoping she would not concede and would attempt a floor fight for the nomination; John Edwards was a non-player at the convention due to a sex scandal

Democratic Vice-Presidential Selection:
The West Wing: Plagued by accusations of being inexperienced and having weak foreign policy credentials, Santos picked party elder, Leo McGarry, to be his running mate; McGarry came from blue-collar Catholic roots and made it as a major political player in Washington, his career almost ended when he suffered a near fatal heart attack earlier in the show
2008: Plagued by accusations of being inexperienced and having weak foreign policy credentials, Obama picked party elder, Joe Biden, to be his running mate; Biden came from blue-collar Catholic roots and made it as a major political player in Washington, his career almost ended when he suffered a near fatal brain aneurism in 1988

Republican Vice-Presidential Selection:
The West Wing: After he is unable to get the evangelical base of the party excited over his candidacy, Vinick chose a relatively unknown and inexperienced small state governor, Ray Sullivan of West Virginia.
2008: After he is unable to get the evangelical base of the party excited over his candidacy, Vinick chose a relatively unknown and inexperienced small state governor, Sarah Palin of Alaska.