What does it take to write a convincing fictional Senator? I had to consider this question often when writing The Senate Deception. I also had to draw on my own direct experience meeting and working with U.S. Senators (or those who wished to be) past and present.
Here is my compiled list of the top 5 best and top 5 worst fictional senators as heroes or antiheroes, villains or antagonists in literature, film, or television. I would love to know if you agree or disagree with this list, or if you think there are any obvious omissions.
What makes a noteworthy fictional Senator?
The U.S. Senate is often referred to as the upper chamber of Congress, or at least it used to be. It’s comprised of (today) 100 men and women who are in the major league of U.S. politics. Think NFL, PGA, MLB, MLS, or NHL.
Sometimes politics is a team sport – especially the collegium that is the Senate, where Senators often work across party lines to solve national problems. Today, such bipartisan coordination is rare. Most of the time, though, it’s an individual competition. Tracking up and down a leaderboard of seniority, fundraising, notoriety, and power.
There is also the social aspect of the Senate. It is as much a workplace as it is a construct of Article I, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution. There will only ever be two Senators from each state. At any given time, a quarter of the Senate is being mentioned in national media as White House contenders. However, half of all the Senate might fantasize about being the Commander-in-Chief one day.
Ambitious, highly accomplished in some field, if not politics, strong communicator, and capable of commanding a following – these are the fundamental qualities it takes to be a great or notorious U.S. Senator.
As for the fictional ones, they must capture one or more aspects of the above. The push and pull of legislating. The perpetual pursuit of power or campaign for reelection. The moral mutations that occur by having to please a diverse, fickle electorate. The ego required to think you are an elite leader worthy of one of two seats in your state. Or perhaps just a memorable character we want to cheer for or against.
Without further ado, the list of noteworthy fictional senators.
Five Best Fictional Senators
5. Senator Gil John Biggs (NC)
Gil Biggs was one the residents of Alpha House, a depiction of a fictional living arrangement of U.S. Senators in the Amazon Prime series (in the Stone Age days of streaming). He’s a leader who coasted into office as a championship basketball coach, only to discover he has to work for it if he wants to have a second term. He’s a self-described “perks” guy, in office for the trappings (skyboxes, scotch, cigars, scotch) and the prestige, not necessarily to lead or legislate. Although he discovers later in the series, he still has a soul and a desire to do those, too. John Goodman’s portrayal of the surly, sometimes unsure-why-he’s-there-Senator is delicious and addicting. Watch Alpha House on Amazon Prime, especially season 2, if you have never heard of Gil John before reading this post.
4. Senator Jefferson Smith (Western State Unnamed)
Whenever someone mentions the U.S. Senate or Washington politics, it is rare for Americans to be unfamiliar with Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, even if they have never watched the entire 1939 film. The film portrays Jefferson Smith’s naive and everyman’s fight against a corrupt, entrenched, and powerful Washington elite ruling class. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including Best Director for Frank Capra and Best Actor for Jimmy Stewart (kudos to the fellow Pennsylvanian), but it won only Best Writing, Original Story for Lewis Foster that year. If you have never watched the film, you might be surprised at the story’s focus on manipulation and high-stakes political gamesmanship.
3. Senator Bill McKay (CA)
Spoiler alert: If you have never seen The Candidate (1972) starring 1960-80s sex symbol Robert Redford, watch then come back and read why I have ranked him Number 3 all-time best.
To be fair, Bill McKay only becomes a United States Senator at the end of the film. Bill McKay is young (ala Kennedy), idealistic (also Kennedy, but perhaps more RFK than JFK), and determined to slay a giant in order to become part of the political elite. The film examines quite accurately the risks of transformation and mutation many candidates experience from the grueling ordeal of an American political campaign. Mckay specifically must become the sort of political animal he loathes in order to win and beat the jaundiced establishment. It’s a story about choices in politics, and over time they begin to add up. Good leaders maintain their bearing and avoid losing sight of the shore. By the end, you may not be cheering for McKay to win as much as at the start, but perhaps viewing with an attitude of the pre-Watergate era in which it was released, we can believe McKay rights his ship before landing in Washington.
2. Senator Brig Anderson (UT)
One of my favorite literary Senators is Brig Anderson from Allen Drury’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Advise and Consent, which later became a film starring Peter Fonda. Brig Anderson (on the left above from the film version) has two versions, but my favorite is the literary one. Senator Anderson grapples intensely with personal and political calculations throughout the book in a fight over the nomination of a highly controversial Secretary of State. A remarkable plot line for 1959, Brig’s clearly homosexual past becomes a point of blackmail in the book. Although Brig Anderson’s character arc is one of transformation, its a transformation towards chaos away from impecable moral certitude. I find this choice by Drury fascinating and highly representative of so much of American politics. Advise and Consent is a dense read, but it had a strong influence on my creation of the U.S. Senate in The Senate Deception and some of the themes Jackson Piper faces in the sequel, What It Takes to Kil a Bull Moose, planning for release later in 2024.
1. Senator Arnold Vinick (CA)
If you thought for a second that a West Wing Senator would not be my Number 1 on either list, you were sorely mistaken. Although not crafted by the show’s original writer and creator, Aaron Sorkin, Senator Arnold Vinick (portrayed by national treasure Alan Alda) is the perfect rival for Rep. Matt Santos. Vinick was so likable I hoped he would win the fictional election in the show’s final season. The writers and directors confirmed that when the fictional campaign first began, they assumed Vinick would be the victor. Senator Vinick is dastardly and prickly. He makes hurtful and sharp-elbowed choices at times to try to win, but in the end he maintains his moral compass. For his sense of humor, his political courage, and his strong representation of the honor and decorum that should be the U.S. Senate, Vinick in the Number 1.
Five Worst (aka Notorious) Fictional Senators
5. Senator Kevin Keeley (OH)
Gene Hackman’s portrayal of the despicable Senator from Ohio, but he is clearly the antagonist of the disastrous family dinner in The Birdcage (1996). The writers and director tried to make Keeley ultraconservative through implied antisemitism and blantant homophobia, but he looks moderate almost 30 years later. Even dressed in drag attempting to escape through the gay club, Keeley is worried that no men are dancing with him because the white dress they picked makes him look fat. Hilarious! But still, you’re a dispicable character Senator Keeley. I can only hope you retired from the Senate after losing your presidential election.
4. Senator Bob Rumson (KS)
Of course, an Aaron Sorkin Senator is on this list, and the antagonist of The American President is the perfect spiteful, mean, and petty politician to land at Number 4. Richard Dreyfus portrays Senator Bob Rumson, the presidentially ambitious and opportunistic U.S. Senator, with convincing flair. Thus the perfectly delivered tagline, “I’m Bob Rumson, and I’m running for President!” I could not imagine any Senator from across the aisle trusting Bob Rumson with their car keys, let alone partnering on landmark legislation. Rumson is a self-serving twit. By the end, you’re cheering when Michael Douglas gives him a remote verbal lashing from the Press Room. Go back to Kansas, Bob!
3. Senator Ethan Roark (Basin City)
You might not be familiar with Senator Ethan Roark. He is the fictional U.S. Senator from the graphic novel series Sin City by Frank Miller. It is hard to get more evil thank Senator Roark. He beat his wife to death with a baseball bat and was never even charged or arrested for the crime. Powers Boothe portrayed Roark in both Sin City movies, and he truly is a son of a bitch Senator. His role as a legislator is entirely secondary to his role as a tyrant, and he’s probably the least-known character on the list.
2. Senator Catherine Durant (LA)
Although you are angry that Louisiana Senator Catherine Durant is trying to stop Frank Underwood (and later Claire) and uncover their corruption, you do not cheer for her. In the upside-won world of House of Cards, evil is good, and good is bad. Senator Catherine Durant is not likable, though her weird demise at the end of the series, in my view, is all the more reason Netflix should have just tossed the final weird and implausible season into a drawer or down a flight of stairs.
1. Senator Sebright Cooley (SC)
Allen Drury’s Senators are so remarkable and poignant, it’s only fitting that two make the list. Senator Sebright Cooley is not only a wonderful name for a villain; he is the epitome of the old Senate. Meticulous, tenacious, calculating, powerful, immovable. He’s everything you expect to find in an antagonist. Still, even while you object to his moral ambiguity, he is an unforgettable characterization of elements of Washington DC tht continue to this day.
Honorable Mentions
There are a few Senators who did not make the list, but are worth a mention:
Senator Howard Stackhouse (MN), The West Wing, Season 2
Senator Laine Hanson (OH), The Contender
Senator Jay Billington Bulworth (CA), Bulworth
Senator Robert Bettencourt (PA), Alpha House
Senator Raymond Shaw, The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon
