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| After Bartlet won the presidency, Seaborn became the Deputy White House Communications Director, often collaborating with ] ] to write the President's most important public addresses, most notably his ] and his first inaugural address. | After Bartlet won the presidency, Seaborn became the Deputy White House Communications Director, often collaborating with ] ] to write the President's most important public addresses, most notably his ] and his first inaugural address. | ||
| In early 2003, Seaborn announced a run for ] in ] in a special election held after deceased ] candidate Horton Wilde defeated ] incumbent Chuck Webb. Despite recieving ]'s endorsement in the race, Seaborn lost the race to Congressman Webb. | |||
| === Run for Congress === | |||
| During the fourth season, Sam decides to run for ] in his home district — the ] in ] — in a special election held after deceased ] candidate Horton Wilde ] makes history by defeating arch-conservative ] incumbent Chuck Webb. Sam first becomes familiar with the congressional race when he is sent to talk to Wilde's campaign manager, ], on behalf of the Democratic Party, to convince him to drop the campaign. Will continues running the campaign with earnestness and energy after Wilde died, an act that is seen as bizarre and pointless — or, as Sam puts it to him, "a national joke". After seeing firsthand how dedicated Will is and realizing that he is a public servant in the mould of Bartlet's own senior staff, Sam becomes impressed with how he ran Wilde's campaign and offers his own name as a replacement candidate for election night in case Wilde wins, not thinking he will have to honor the promise. When Wilde does win, Sam decides not to back out but to use this opportunity to promote a truly liberal agenda in the traditionally conservative district. He goes to California with the blessing of Bartlet and his fellow White House staffers. Once he learns that Will Bailey is not going to stay on to manage his campaign, he recommends him as a temporary replacement for himself in the White House, to help Toby write Bartlet's second inaugural address. | |||
| Sam is expected to lose in a landslide. ] goes to ] to lend his support, taking with him Sam's friends on the senior staff, who believe campaign manager Scott Holcomb is wasting Sam's time by having him run a safe, timid campaign. In the midst of the visit, Sam learns that Bartlet is putting off announcing the Democratic tax plan Sam himself had helped design, so that Sam won't feel pressured to support it and further stigmatize himself during the election. Sam is appalled and decides to put things right. While introducing the President at a campaign event, he adds that the audience shouldn't "let him off this stage" until he has announced the tax plan. Backstage, Bartlet watches Scott Holcomb react with distress and asks why he is running Sam's campaign the way he is. Holcomb admits that he is anticipating Sam's loss and trying to smooth the way for a less divisive candidate the next time around, prompting Bartlet to (unofficially) fire him and get Toby to take over the campaign for the final weeks. Toby runs a thoroughly honest and liberal campaign, not until the very end of which does Sam realize, "I'm going to lose". Toby confirms it, explaining, "They're going to throw rocks at you next week, and I wanted to be standing next to you when they did." They hug, and this is the last scene in which Sam appears until the end of the final season of the series. | |||
| When Sam does reappear, it is implied that Sam lost the election to Congressman Webb, and then declined the promotion to Senior ] that had been suggested by Toby. Instead, he quit politics, remained in his home state of California, and joined an unnamed law firm in Los Angeles which pays him a salary that would "make puke". | |||
| ===Return to the White House=== | ===Return to the White House=== | ||
Revision as of 05:17, 25 May 2024
American TV character, created 1999Fictional character
| Samuel Seaborn | |
|---|---|
| The West Wing character | |
| First appearance | "Pilot" |
| Last appearance | "Tomorrow" |
| Created by | Aaron Sorkin |
| Portrayed by | Rob Lowe |
| In-universe information | |
| Nickname | Princeton (Secret Service code name), Schmutzy Pants (by Mallory) |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Deputy White House Communications Director (seasons 1-4) Deputy White House Chief of Staff (last episode of season 7) |
| Family | Unnamed father |
| Spouse | an ex-fiancée - Lisa Sherborne |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma Mater | Princeton University Duke Law School |
Samuel Norman Seaborn is an American political strategist and advisor who was the deputy White House Chief of Staff for Strategic Planning from 2007 to 2015 under President Matthew Santos. He was previously the deputy White House Communications Director in the administration of President Josiah Bartlet from 1999 to 2002. He was also the Democratic nominee for California's 47th House district election in 2003, losing to Republican incumbent Chuck Webb.
Seaborn was born in Laguna Beach, Orange County, California in 1966. He attended Princeton University, and graduated from Duke Law School, in 1991 where he was an editor of the Duke Law Review. He also worked at the law firm of Dewey Ballantine in New York City before joining Gage Whitney Pace, the second biggest law firm in New York City. Sam worked there for seven years before leaving to become a speech writer for Josiah Bartlet during Bartlet's campaign for the presidency in 1998. He also worked in Democratic politics as a congressional aide, DCCC staffer and on a New York State Assembly campaign.
After Bartlet won the presidency, Seaborn became the Deputy White House Communications Director, often collaborating with White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler to write the President's most important public addresses, most notably his State of the Union and his first inaugural address.
In early 2003, Seaborn announced a run for Congress in California's 47th Congressional district in a special election held after deceased Democratic candidate Horton Wilde defeated Republican incumbent Chuck Webb. Despite recieving President Bartlet's endorsement in the race, Seaborn lost the race to Congressman Webb.
Return to the White House
Although Sam is mentioned occasionally following his departure — most notably calling Josh to tell him to "roll with the punches" after the latter unwittingly caused the defection of a Democratic Senator. He is not seen in the series until the last episodes of the seventh and final season, following the election of Congressman Matt Santos as President.
In a development reminiscent of his recruitment of Sam into Josiah Bartlet's campaign for the presidency eight years earlier, Josh Lyman (now Chief of Staff-designate in the incoming Santos Administration) flies to Los Angeles on a same day round trip to offer Sam the post of Deputy White House Chief of Staff. Although initially hesitant because he is again engaged, Sam ultimately agrees as he later sees that Santos is part of a bright future for the country. Sam accepts on the condition that Josh take a vacation after witnessing the toll of post-election stress, insisting that Josh will need to be at his best when helping govern the country.
Sam's final appearance of the series comes in the final episode, meeting with new President Matt Santos and Josh Lyman in the Oval Office.
See also
References
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