West Wing fans know that, at the show's inception, the character of Josh Lyman was modeled after Rahm Emanuel.
In Season 6, the new character Matt Santos (the Democratic presidential candidate, played by Jimmy Smits) was modeled after Barack Obama.
In Season 7, Santos ran against an aging moderate Republican from a western state named Arnold Vinick (played by Alan Alda)
Santos won the fictional election, and made Josh Lyman his Chief of Staff.
So let's recap:
- Josh Lyman is modeled after Rahm Emanuel.
- Matt Santos is modeled after Barack Obama
- Matt Santos wins the presidency by defeating a moderate Republican, and appoints Josh Lyman his Chief of Staff
- Barack Obama wins the presidency by defeating a moderate Republican, and appoints Rahm his Chief of Staff.