The presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain mirrors The West Wing election between the characters Matt Santos and Arnold Vinick:

[T]here are several similarities between that show and the current campaign, but let’s all hope that the Democratic Party rallies behind Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) or Barack Obama (Ill.) before Martin Sheen has to be called back into service to pick the nominee.

The clearest similarity is between Barack Obama and Jimmy Smits’ character, Matt Santos, the principled three-term Mexican American congressman from Texas. Just like Santos, Obama is tall, young and brown with a smart attractive wife and a couple of small children. Nobody gave Santos much credit as a presidential candidate because of his short congressional career, but after some early stumbles the people fell in love with his vision and judgment.
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Then there is Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who is perfectly filling the role Alan Alda played, Arnold Vinick, the older maverick Republican senator from the West (California in the show). Due to his willingness to buck Republican Party orthodoxy from time to time, Sen. McCain, like Alda’s Vinick has trouble with the right wingers who are accustomed to having much more influence with the GOP nominee.