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Matt Santos is a fictional Democratic Congressman from Houston, Texas, played by Jimmy Smits. He is a main character on the American television show The West Wing. He is running for President, and his campaign is being managed by President Bartlet's former Deputy Chief of Staff, Josh Lyman.
Santos first appeared on the show as a three-term Congressman who decides not to seek reelection, which creates speculation among West Wing senior staffers that he will run for Governor of Texas. Santos spent his six years in Congress trying, unsuccessfully, to get a Patients' Bill of Rights enacted. A pragmatic liberal, he is immune to flattery and is committed to using the power of government to help people. He is married with two young children.
Santos attended the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, graduating at the top of his class. He was the first member of his family to attend and graduate from college. He then entered the United States Marine Corps, where he was qualified as a pilot. He entered politics and was elected Mayor of Houston, Texas, serving capably, before being elected to the United States House of Representatives. His presidential campaign platform is dedicated to reforming public education in the United States. In the West Wing episode "Opposition Research," Santos says the school year should be at least 240 days out of the year, in order for American children, once grown, to more effectively compete in the world marketplace.
In the episode "Opposition Research," a comment Santos made about the New Hampshire Primary eight years before is made public upon his arrival in the state for his first campaign trip. He said the New Hampshire Primary was "about as diverse as a Mayflower reunion." He refuses to back away from this comment, demonstrating his willingness to stick to his guns and speak even inconvenient truths. In the days before the Iowa presidential caucus, however, despite Santos's own policy views and past opposition, he announces that he supports Federal support of ethanol as an alcohol fuel, a move which, in the light of Republican competitor Arnold Vinick's failure to bend on the same point, caused trouble for Josh Lyman, who encouraged it. Oddly, though, the candidate's wife seemed more displeased with Josh than Santos himself.
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