US TV
Poll: New 'West Wing' POTUS should be Smits
Published Wednesday, Mar 2 2005, 21:00 GMT | By James Welsh
The official presidential election in America took place back in November, but West Wing fans are still waiting to find out who'll be the next president on the political drama.
Polling company Zogby, which conducted polls during the official election season, has now turned its sights on the successor to the show's fictional president, Josiah Bartlet.
In a poll that Zogby says was "weighted to ensure it reflects the partisan breakdown of the U.S. population, and not just the demographic that views 'The West Wing' frequently or occasionally," Democrat Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits of NYPD Blue fame) showed a strong lead over Republican Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda, M*A*S*H).
The poll, which was conducted between February 18 and 25, pegged Santos at 44% to Vinick's 28%. 19% of respondents ticked the "undecided" box - entirely fair, since only snippets of the campaign have been seen so far this season.
"While the American people don’t go to the polls to elect a real-life president for some time, the attention of political junkies will be riveted to their television sets this fall," said John Zogby. "Unless Vinick can shore up his base, and make inroads among women, expect a Santos victory. Expect to see Vinick work to reach out to women as the campaign season wears on."
Polling company Zogby, which conducted polls during the official election season, has now turned its sights on the successor to the show's fictional president, Josiah Bartlet.
In a poll that Zogby says was "weighted to ensure it reflects the partisan breakdown of the U.S. population, and not just the demographic that views 'The West Wing' frequently or occasionally," Democrat Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits of NYPD Blue fame) showed a strong lead over Republican Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda, M*A*S*H).
The poll, which was conducted between February 18 and 25, pegged Santos at 44% to Vinick's 28%. 19% of respondents ticked the "undecided" box - entirely fair, since only snippets of the campaign have been seen so far this season.
"While the American people don’t go to the polls to elect a real-life president for some time, the attention of political junkies will be riveted to their television sets this fall," said John Zogby. "Unless Vinick can shore up his base, and make inroads among women, expect a Santos victory. Expect to see Vinick work to reach out to women as the campaign season wears on."
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