Similarities between the fictional 2006 election and the real-life 2008 U.S. presidential election have been noted in the media : young minority Democratic candidate ( Matthew Santos on the show , Barack Obama in real life ) has a gruelling but successful primary campaign against a more experienced candidate ( Bob Russell on the show , Hillary Clinton in real life ) and chooses an experienced Washington insider as his running mate ( Leo McGarry on the show , Joe Biden in real life ) , whereas the Republican contest is determined early in the primary season with an aging maverick senator of a Western state being the nominee ( Arnold Vinick on the show , John McCain in real life ) , defeating an ordained minister as the closest competitor ( Reverend Butler on the show , Mike Huckabee in real life ) , and then selecting a socially conservative running mate from a small Republican state ( West Virginia Governor Ray Sullivan on the show , Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in real life ) . . Similarities between the fictional 2006 election and the real-life 2008 U.S. presidential election have been noted in the media : young minority Democratic candidate ( Matthew Santos on the show , Barack Obama in real life ) has a gruelling but successful primary campaign against a more experienced candidate ( Bob Russell on the show , Hillary Clinton in real life ) and chooses an experienced Washington insider as his running mate ( Leo McGarry on the show , Joe Biden in real life ) , whereas the Republican contest is determined early in the primary season with an aging `` maverick '' senator of a Western state being the nominee ( Arnold Vinick on the show , John McCain in real life ) .