Well Vinnick hasn’t gotten any airtime of significance in the last two episodes. Vinnick is a good candidate and while a party change might be interesting from a practical stand-point too many loved characters who are obviously still going to be around (Josh, Donna, probably CJ, Toby) are Democrats and it wouldn’t make any sense for them to have a place in a Vinnick administration.
On a related note, I got a sense that Donna is being set up to have a prominent role in the First Lady’s office which I think it a slap in her face after so long being intricately involved in the West Wing.
As Josh’s secretary. First Lady’s Chief of Staff would be a step up, especially if she’s an activist first lady.
So how will Leo be written out of the series? Will he die before the election? After the election but before the inauguration? After the inauguration? Thoughts?
I thought there was much speculation that they will end the series.
With a tattoo like, that, sh…sorry.
I can’t help but stare at Janeane Garofalo’s eyebrows. They seem much more prominent than I remember her having previously. Does anyone else find them disconcerting?
And whatever happened to Charlie Young?
The eyebrows have to be a joke. Yes, it annoys me every time her face is on camera. Why would they be so blatantly fake and ugly?
We really don’t see much of Charlie anymore. It was pointed out here that it would have been natural to see him and Zoe as guests at Ellies wedding, but we saw neither. Guess he was too busy working in that office with a bunch of other newby foreign policy assistants or whatever it is he’s doing since graduating from college.
Did anyone notice that Jorge was the doctor that was helping Bobby Simone when he died? That doesn’t bode well for Santos. 
Yeah, I got a strong FLCoS vibe off that scene.
Except that it is my understanding that Leo is in at least four more upcoming episodes. My guess is that after his last filmed episode runs the next episode will tell of him having a recurrence of his heart problem and his death.
Responding to some earlier posts…
I also thought Martin Sheen’s brief salute to John Spencer at the beginning of the show was a nice touch. Was it just me, though, or did Sheen seem a little too… jaunty?
There was some reference during one of the New Hampshire Democratic Primary episodes to Santos’s brother’s checkered past. I forget exactly what was said - Josh was trying to brace Santos for the press scrutiny that was bound to come - but I agree that it looks like he’s being poised to become a pain in the ass a la Billy Carter.
When Leo McGarry was in the hospital, President Bartlet consulted him on who should replace him as WHCoS. Bartlet said something like, “Who would you pick?” Leo replied with something like, “There’s only one,” and Bartlet nodded knowingly. Looked like they pretty quickly reached a consensus on C.J. Josh seemed to take it pretty well, although it wasn’t long afterwards that he left for Santos’s fledgling presidential campaign (and was chewed out by a resentful Toby for doing so).
How will they handle Spencer’s death? If he dies before the election, it could become an issue for the voters - will Santos quickly pick a new running mate (who would be confirmed by the DNC’s executive committee, I suppose), or will he wait to see how the election unfolds? If the latter, or if right after Santos wins the election, he could name a new VP through the 25th Amendment. That could provide some drama right there, if they handle it right. Cecil had a column on this (vacancies in the presidency or vice presidency between election and Inauguration Day) some years ago, as I recall. See also the 20th Amendment.
Lastly, when will the election actually take place? Here we are in January in the real world, and apparently in WWW, still six weeks out from the election.
What happens if the VP wins the election, but dies before being inaugerated?
What if he dies before the electoral college votes? Could the President-Elect tell the electors to vote for a new guy, or would he have to be confirmed by Congress?
That’s a good question nobody really knows the answer to. Jeff Greenfield of TV news wrote a pretty good book, “The People’s Choice” about what happens if the President Elect dies after the election but before the Electoral College votes, and what happens if the VP elect dies nobody quite knows for sure.
Taft’s VP in 1912, James Sherman, died on October 30 a week before the election. The Republicans picked Nicholas Butler to replace him on the ballot.
Didn’t matter as Taft just got 8 electoral votes (Utah and Vermont).
One can’t help but wonder what UT and VT had in common.
Vermont used to be one of the most consistently Republican states in the country. It’s only turned Democratic in the last 20-30 years.
I don’t think it reallys matters what US law says on the subject. The show is going to go with a choice that’s plausible within their world, doesn’t glaringly sound forced, and what the budget can afford when it comes to actors. Seems to me the easiest way out of this is to have Vinick win the election - then the whole issue of who Santos will pick becomes moot. That’s the direction I’d take.
It’s obvious at this point that Santos is the winner. They’ve spent tons of time developing Santos, his wife, and Janeane Garofolo’s character, and almost no time on Vinick’s staff.
Having Santos around means they get to keep at least Josh and Donna, and potentially some other original characters.
If there’s to be another season, Santos will win. If not, then it’s anybody’s guess and Leo isn’t an issue.