Character

Elliot Roush

tenacious polarizing ambitious

Elliot Roush stands as President Jed Bartlet's enduring congressional rival from New Hampshire campaigns, a figure whose surprise resurgence as frontrunner (polling 46% surging to 53%) in Manchester's school board race unleashes Bartlet's fierce personal fixation. Staff witness the President's moral outrage erupt—contrasting Roush against true exemplars of faith and wisdom—thrusting this local contest into Oval Office obsession, where Roush embodies insidious threats to principled governance through eroded local institutions. His shadow tests White House discipline amid post-assassination strategy pivots.

6 appearances

Elliot Roush's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

6 moments

S2E3 · The Midterms

Missed Call Tension: Zoey Confronts Charlie

mentioned by Bartlet as past congressional opponent now running for school board in Manchester

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S2E3 · The Midterms

Roosevelt Room: Sympathy Surge Standoff

Phantom provocation fueling Bartlet's ire

Elliot Roush is invoked by Bartlet in the hallway as a longstanding congressional rival now leading a Manchester school board race, catalyzing an impulsive demand for polling data.

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S2E3 · The Midterms

Bartlet's Roush Obsession Ignites Staff Friction

significantly referenced as the school board candidate polling at 46%, subject of Bartlet's obsession and personal history

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S2E3 · The Midterms

C.J.'s Unvoiced Aftermath Worry Interrupted by Urgent Beeper

Significantly mentioned as opponent polling at 46% in local Board of Education race, subject of Bartlet's obsession.

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S2E3 · The Midterms

Bartlet's Confession and Reluctant Democratic Concession

Object of Bartlet's seething moral outrage and disdain

Invoked repeatedly as Bartlet's fixation—the New Hampshire school board frontrunner polling at 53%, contrasted against ideals of faith and wisdom—driving the confrontation over national coverage and intervention.

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S2E3 · The Midterms

Bartlet Demands Roush Coverage, Dismisses House Strategy

N/A (absent, but evoked as unworthy threat by Bartlet).

Intensely discussed as Bartlet's former New Hampshire rival now front-running school board race at 53%, catalyst for Bartlet's push for national 'human interest' coverage and C.J.'s ethical blockade.

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Affiliation

Democratic Party