Previously on The West Wing:
Polls open in five, four, three...
...two...
Final pass at the victory and concession speeches.
It was either this or a solitaire tournament with the Advance guys.
Have you seen this stuff about Leo?
Leo McGarry did not accept his party's nomination for the vice-presidency...
...because he thought it might make your socks roll up and down.
We just got the first round of exit polls.
We're losing North Dakota, a state that's gone Republican for the last 40 years.
Doesn't give a moment's pause?
Turnout is down 15 percent in Vermont!
- Josh. - How are we up in South Carolina...
...and not get people in Vermont?
Leo?
Leo! Somebody help me!
Of course it's very gratifying to win Illinois.
That's Leo McGarry country.
He can leave that suitcase of ballots in his room.
Texas is Santos country. Could be a loss there.
Congressman Santos isn't running for the president of Texas.
He'd like to win every state. He's gunning for Guam too.
We've already won New York...
...New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, which...
Senator Vinick has won Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky...
... Mississippi and Virginia.
And as for South Carolina...
... Matt Santos couldn't have made more trips to the state if he lived there.
We feel great about California.
Polls are still open out West. The whole country's at stake.
We're very optimistic about Texas. And we'll win the state of California.
Thank you, Jeff. It's great talking to you too.
- Thanks, Josh. - And we're out.
Why aren't we dominating Texas?
Santos isn't running for president of Texas.
Think we have enough flags?
We still have to convince people we're not socialists?
I think that, and I work here.
- Thank you, Barbara. - We're out.
- Ohio? - Not yet.
They called Tennessee for us, Indiana, West Virginia.
What the hell is going on in Ohio?
- You look terrible. - Makeup's really working then.
Minnesota's official. And Bruce and Gene need a minute.
- Who? - From the transition team.
Tell them we're gonna wait and see if there's a transition.
They said it was important.
Interrupt me after two minutes.
- If a state is called? - Or make something up. Two minutes.
Bruce, Gene, how are you?
Several polls across the country have just closed.
Check in every half-hour. Okay, bye.
They just called Minnesota for Santos.
Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire. Talk to me about the duck-boot belt.
- It's still too close to call. - That would be something.
Come on, Ohio. Come on.
We have problems with the victory speech.
- Big problems. - What problems?
For starters, there's nothing about economic sacrifice.
- Seen CBO's deficit projections? - Throw the old baseline right out.
If we can't claim a mandate for sacrifice...
A speech doesn't give us a mandate. There's no spinning it.
We ran the national security language by McNally.
She agrees we need a reference to burden-sharing...
...with Kazakhstan ticking like a time bomb.
Congressman mentioned burden-sharing less than 15 times in the campaign.
- You counted? - Campaign's over.
Someone's gotta be thinking about the governing.
Do you have your changes written down?
No rope line, no press pool.
We're going in through the basement. No one sees you till tonight.
- It's Bram. - I need the congressman.
They called Minnesota for us.
- Good news. - Bad news.
If you guys are trying Good Cop, Bad Cop, your routine needs work.
We need to rewrite the speech. The transition team...
...wants sacrifice and burden-sharing instead of sunshine and light.
- Josh? - They counted the references.
It's my own fault.
- Don't worry. - It's our first governing document.
They're trying to make their jobs easier. Worry about the next two hours.
Hang on. Hey, what happened?
Two minutes. A hundred and twenty seconds.
I was stuck in there with Dull and Duller, counting beads on my imaginary abacus.
Ohio?
Texas? We won? We lost?
We need a good lawyer? What?
Leo was unconscious in his room. Annabeth found him.
He wasn't...
He wasn't breathing.
They're taking him to the hospital in an ambulance now.
C.J.?
Is the president in his office?
He just got back. Should I get Will?
Nancy?
Yes, sir?
I thought I brought that CENTCOM report back from Air Force One.
- See if it's in that pile on your desk. - I'll check, sir.
I have some serious issues with the force-readiness report.
We need to get Hutchinson to go over it.
Any word on Ohio or Texas?
- No, sir. - I had to get out of Manchester.
Sitting around my daughter's house watching my son-in-law...
...take his deserved electoral beating without being able to utter...
...a self-satisfied... was more than I could bear.
- Nancy, anything? - Still searching, sir.
I probably left it on the plane. Call Andrews for me.
If the Republicans end up with a one-vote majority...
...we can chalk it up to my daughter's lousy taste in men...
...and her father's pathetic efforts to...
C.J., what is it?
- Where is he? - They're taking him to Methodist.
- Where's Josh? - Left for the hospital.
- Leo talking? - Don't know.
- Should we go? - No, the press doesn't have this yet.
- Why not? - Polls out West are open for 90 minutes.
You wanna keep this secret for an hour and a half?
- A quarter of the country is still voting. - I'm asking all four quarters to trust me.
I am not hiding the health problems of my V.P.
Not the place for this conversation.
- Anything that highlights... - I am not having this conversation.
We're issuing a statement to the press now.
This is a campaign, and there's only two kinds, the pitiless and the dead.
Every minute, votes are being cast. Undecideds vote late in the day.
If they were looking to vote Vinick...
...a press release could just punch their lottery ticket.
It's gonna come out. Ten, 15 minutes.
Somebody at the hospital's gonna say something.
Maybe it takes an hour for the press to confirm.
They're not gonna wait to confirm.
I know he's your friend. He's my friend too.
But we can't be sentimental, or we will have a Republican president...
...who will gut education.
He will auction off Social Security and cut taxes till we're bleeding red ink.
And when Leo wakes up...
...he will kick your ass for letting that happen. You know he will.
Start working on a statement.
Get me to a phone. I wanna call the hospital.
Yeah. All right.
They're calling Kansas, Louisiana...
...Nebraska, Oklahoma, North and South Dakota, all for us.
Minnesota for Santos, Wisconsin.
- What about Ohio? - Nothing yet.
- Iowa? Texas? - Too close to call. Nope.
- What do we got left out West? - Idaho, Montana, Utah...
...Wyoming, Alaska, probably Nevada.
Santos gets Hawaii and Washington.
- Hispanic vote... - Hey!
Here we go.
We call the state of Ohio for Senator Vinick.
- Yes! - Texas!
Come on! Come on! What do we know about Texas?
Where is he?
Hey.
He died, Josh.
- What's the count? - One-sixty-six, 179.
No Texas yet?
The candidates are three votes apart. In real terms that's...
It's Bram.
It's Josh.
Any of those states would be enough for Santos to tie up...
... this game at this moment in time.
It's Josh for the congressman.
- States we have not been able to project winners in, Texas...
Yeah?
... Santos 's home state. Look at these numbers.
Fifty-one percent so far for Santos, 49 percent for Vinick.
Yeah, we don't know much yet.
I'm heading back out to Andrews in a couple minutes to fly down.
I think Mallory's already there for the election night.
I'll be sure.
Honey, can you hang on a second?
- When? - Just a few minutes ago.
Donna just called me.
Thank you, C.J.
Mr. President.
Sweetheart, I'm sorry, I have some very bad news.
Let's recap where we stand.
Right after 9:30 here on the East Coast...
... if we look at the popular vote...
... with 14 percent of the vote now in, Arnold Vinick with 49 percent.
Senator, I've got Matt Santos on the phone.
You wanna concede already?
No, sir.
You'll wanna take this call.
Matt?
Two hundred and seventy needed to be elected president.
Well, thank you, senator, l... I'll pass that along to everyone here.
Yeah, I appreciate that. Thank you.
We bring you breaking news...
... some would say heartbreaking news at this hour.
Once again, Leo McGarry has been pronounced dead...
... by Dr. Elliott M. Gross of the Texas Methodist Medical Center.
He was rushed to the hospital after a massive heart attack...
... his second in as many years.
Vice presidential candidate, White House counselor...
... and chief of staff, labor secretary and decorated Vietnam veteran.
The Chicago native played a major role...
... in shaping every presidential election of the past quarter-century.
And we are unsure at this moment in time...
... how the sudden and tragic death of...
... Democratic vice-presidential candidate Leo McGarry...
Some believed that McGarry had more weight and experience...
... particularly in matters of foreign policy, than the top of the ticket.
More than one Democratic operative might be saying...
... with the loss of this party eminence and elder...
... what now for the Santos campaign...
... with McGarry's name still stamped on every ballot?
- We need to put out some statement. - What are my options?
Put forward a name, make it harder to make an issue out of this...
...or, God forbid, contest a result he doesn't like.
- Could he do that? - We don't have a lot of precedent.
Want me to pick another running mate, why not just pick a whole Cabinet?
Polls don't close for 50 minutes.
It may take just a few thousand votes to decide this.
We can't put forward another name.
The DNC charter gives the power to name a replacement to the DNC.
You're gonna have to make clear the DNC gets to approve it.
I am not naming a new running mate right now.
Leo was on the ballot. If I win, he wins. Nothing we can do about that.
- So, what happens next? - Electoral College vote in December.
States' electors are free to vote for anyone.
I can ask them to vote for someone other than Leo.
Yes, but Vinick could claim that you're circumventing the voters.
- The alternative being? - Wait till you take office in January.
Nominate someone under the 25th Amendment.
Which might be more respectful of process.
Vinick would not be able to argue the public's not being represented...
Before we get too deeply into rules...
...may I remind you, we haven't won the damn election yet.
He's gotta get down to that ballroom now...
...and reassure the voters out West.
- We've got a draft statement? - Working on it.
No adjectives, no frilly language. I lost a friend here tonight.
- Leo's family? - His daughter Mallory was in the hotel.
- She's headed to the hospital. - Is Josh still there?
- Last I heard. - Need him back?
I need Josh to be where he needs to be.
Get me that statement. Thanks.
They called Ohio for Vinick.
Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma.
North and South Dakota.
We picked up Minnesota, Wisconsin.
Texas?
- Not yet. - Polls are still open out West.
Congressman needs to make a statement.
Calm nervous undecideds in California and Pacific Northwest...
Lou's already on it.
- He needs to make it now, there's no... - They know that.
- Somebody needs to tell the president. - I called C.J.
Where's Mallory? She was here a couple...
She just went to call her mom.
How is the congressman? You talk to Lou or Bram?
Yeah, he's in shock, like the rest of us.
Shouldn't we get back to the hotel?
So no Texas yet?
Come on, I'll drive.
Shouldn't have subjected him to the stresses of a race.
After his last attack, they wheeled him from the O. R...
...to the convention. - Santos needed him.
He needed a guy with experience to balance out those training wheels.
- Santos still hasn't made a statement? - Nope.
Condolences, support for the family?
Probably trying to figure out what to say.
"Hey, sorry, thought he had a few thousand more miles in him."
The polls close in California in 45 minutes...
...and we're still not as strong as we should be.
Orange County, San Diego, the San Fernando Valley.
I should make a statement?
Undecideds all over California...
...are driving to the polls, trying to figure out which lever to pull.
No doubt some Democrats wondering if Santos is up to the job...
...without Leo McGarry behind him.
Santos hasn't made a statement because he lost his rationale...
...for having enough experience.
It's hard to reassure without your reassurance.
You're quiet all of a sudden.
Yeah.
Well, if Santos wins the election...
...it's bait and switch, false advertising.
He's got tainted electors...
...and I'm not sure a Republican Congress ratifies his election.
If we get a Republican Congress.
You're suggesting I challenge a Santos win?
We can't let Santos take this country into mass confusion...
...and a tainted electoral process while troops are dropping into Kazakhstan.
You want me to go out there and say people shouldn't vote for Matt Santos...
...because Leo McGarry died?
We have to be very careful. We could create a backlash.
How about creating a conscience for ourselves?
I've known Leo for 20 years.
Can we please not use him as a step stool?
You think voters don't know...
...exactly what this means without jamming it down their throats?
Voters are doing some jamming of their own.
We're neck and neck in California, and Texas is still too close to call.
We don't want this to come to absentee ballots...
...we're gonna need to do something, and do it now.
The question is how it might affect voters on the West...
I know you did, senator.
I picked him because he was the best man for the job.
Of course I knew that he'd had...
Well, I'll take that under advisement. Thanks for the suggestion.
Senator Kaufer selflessly offered himself as a possible vice president...
...in the service of his country.
God bless America.
- Am I gonna hate this? - Probably.
Congressman Santos would like to make a statement at this time.
America has lost a giant tonight...
...and I've lost a friend.
Leo McGarry dedicated his life to public service.
To the notion that every citizen is responsible...
...for making this country a better place.
That we have a sacred duty to participate in our democracy.
To leave America stronger for the next generation.
If I win, the country will be worse off...
... because Leo McGarry will not be there to help me run it.
But I don 't want anyone to vote for or against me because of Leo McGarry.
This race wasn't about him and it isn't about me.
It's a vision for America that will outlast Leo and outlast me.
There's an America that's bigger than any of us.
And for those of you who have not yet voted...
...it is the only thing that should matter when you go to the polls tonight.
Thank you.
Once again, to remind our viewers...
... the red states are Vinick states, the blue states are Santos states.
The rest, the white, are states that have closed their polls...
... but we don 't have enough...
- Polls just closed in the West. - All over but the counting.
Texas is down to the wire, California's a photo finish...
...Oregon and Nevada are both close.
They just called Utah, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming for Vinick.
We won Arizona?
- And Washington State, New Mexico. - Basically a tie.
- What's that? - An old campaign saying of Leo's.
"Same night awaits us all."
- Where's the congressman? - In his suite, calling candidates.
Two more seats and we have a chance to take the House.
We're projected to win four.
- What about the Senate? - McKenna lost Pennsylvania.
Fuller lost Maine. Republicans retain the majority.
- And the president's son-in-law? - Double-digit whipping.
- He's about to concede. - If he can find the podium.
Are they playing it as a defeat for the first family?
They're playing it as a victory for his district.
No, no. I'm fine.
You and Vic come up for the funeral.
Hasn't been set yet. Probably be in a few days.
All right, sweetheart.
I love you too.
Good night.
Ellie, worrying about her father.
It's a list of condolence calls so far.
When you have a moment...
...let us know which ones you'd like to return personally.
It's odd, really, watching yourself being replaced on national television.
Planned obsolescence. Presidents and mid-sized family sedans.
Yes, sir.
Would you have run again if you could?
I think Mrs. Bartlet might have had something to say about that.
The electorate can be persuasive when they want something badly enough.
In the service of two mistresses these past eight years.
That's been my fate.
Thank God for the 22nd Amendment.
I'm spared that particular conversation with Abbey.
First time I met Leo we argued.
- About what? - Monetary something.
Role of the Fed.
- Who won? - I did.
I'm sure if you could ask him, he'd say he did.
We almost lost him 15 years ago.
Did you know that?
Abbey and I used to talk about it.
I was prepared then.
Not today.
CBS may call Maine for Vinick.
- Tell them they can't. - I'll say I'm their director.
We're less than a tenth of a point apart. Below one percent is a retabulation.
I've got 50 election lawyers at the courthouse in Augusta.
- Get on the phone. Tell them they can't. - Okay.
We have 50 lawyers in Maine and not one in Oregon with twice the votes?
- How did that happen? - Oregon looked safe.
It's dangerously unsafe. It's unsafe at any speed.
We don't have a lawyer there.
Pull two lawyers from Nevada, ship them to Oregon. Solved.
What's going on in the ballroom?
Foo Fighters finally ran out their playlist.
Dave Matthews is into his third encore and bar's out of Corona.
How are we coming on the "too close to call, time to go home" statement?
- The congressman's tinkering. - Congressman doesn't read that.
- He wanted to go over... - He doesn't read that from the podium.
We send Goodwin out there.
Don't turn the president into a junior high school principal.
- You think this'll go all night? - Maybe not. Turn up the volume.
We're getting word right now...
... we are prepared now to call Vermont and its three electoral votes...
... and Iowa and its seven electoral votes...
... for Senator Arnold Vinick.
A total of 10 electoral votes for Vinick.
With both candidates ' home states of Texas and California up for grabs...
... those 10 votes could be decisive.
Oh, God, look at this.
We are calling the state of Maine for Vinick.
Maine and its four electoral votes now belong in the red column.
Maine being a welcome surprise...
- Congratulations. - I appreciate it.
Not yet, my friend. Not yet.
That was the speaker. The Maine second for Zolosky.
We lost the House.
South Carolina Statehouse, Illinois, and Colorado too.
- How'd the speaker sound? - He sounded unemployed.
And the state remains too close to call at this time.
And now, with over 85 percent of polling places now in...
... we're prepared to call Texas...
... for native son Congressman Matthew Santos.
Thirty-four electoral votes will be added to the Santos...
- Don't wanna wait until we hear? - Who cares what we're gonna hear.
He won his home state. Worst case, he's governor, senator.
He clears as much brush as he wants. Let's celebrate now.
- Hook them, Horns! - Thirty-four electoral votes!
Who needs Maine and the crummy maple-syrup caucus.
- That's Vermont. - Yeah, them too.
- It's all down to California now. - Have you seen Josh?
Not in a while.
Have you seen Josh Lyman? Thank you.
I called housekeeping. I don't want Mallory...
...coming in here and find the paramedic stuff.
We won Texas.
California would put us over.
You've done a remarkable thing.
Win or lose.
An extraordinary thing.
I talked him into this, into joining the ticket.
Nobody ever talked Leo into doing anything he didn't wanna do.
And he'd want you upstairs.
Not down here.
You belong up there. It's your night.
He was so proud of you, Josh.
The Republican base must've been pleased as they watched...
If I lose California, that's it. I'll take my marbles and go home.
- You're not gonna lose. - Should've spent more time.
- We didn't. - More time where? The South?
- Which we won? - Not South Carolina.
With a Democratic governor who probably filled out every Santos ballot?
We can challenge this in court.
Find precincts where McGarry was why they voted Democrat.
They'll laugh you out of the courthouse.
Everybody, shut up.
This is not about McGarry.
That's not why we're weak in Southern California.
It's San Andreo.
Support of nuclear power isn't why we're weak in Texas, New Mexico...
The hell, it isn't.
This isn't about skin color.
Sometimes the voters don't decide.
Circumstance decides. History decides.
Let me at least talk to the lawyers.
Hodder's got a team meeting downstairs.
You have a number where I can reach Santos?
- It is too premature to start talking... - I want a number.
I'm gonna dial it as soon as they call California.
I want my daughter here. Where is she?
- Putting your grandkids to bed. - Turn up the TV.
Turn up the damn television.
Ironically, Vinick's experiencing a small surge in late balloting, possibly due...
... to the death of vice-presidential candidate Leo McGarry...
... and is showing a great deal of strength in the North...
... to offset predictably low turnout in San Diego County...
... near the site of last month 's nuclear accident.
States I'm sure that Vinick never anticipated winning...
... after the catastrophic nuclear accident in California a few weeks ago.
Some websites went as far as to predict that Vinick was the loser of this election.
We are now ready to call California for Arnold Vinick...
... by what appears to be over 80,000 votes.
Senator Vinick is the winner in his home state.
- What's left? - Oregon, Nevada.
- Vinick wins either one... - We have to win them both.
Every lawyer we've got. Get them on planes to Oregon and Nevada.
It's hard to say if the election will even be decided tonight, Steve.
Oregon and Nevada, 12 electoral votes between them...
... are all that separate one of these two men from the presidency.
This election has been predicted...
... to be one of the closest we've seen in recent years.
Both camps have been prepared for a protracted legal battle...
... though both are still hopeful their candidate will prevail...
... once the final tallies are in.
In Nevada more than 90 percent of the precincts have reported.
And in Oregon that number is more like 92 percent...
... and still the votes are too close...
... to give a clear picture of where this race is heading.
Arnold Vinick, having retired from his Senate seat...
... may be facing a different retirement...
... if he doesn't come up with four electoral votes tonight.
Four votes that could make him the leader of the free world...
... the leader of the Western world.
This could be for Vinick the final political chess move...
At least both candidates can claim to have won their home state...
... which, in the case of Matt Santos, could be a springboard for a future run...
... at the presidency or a statewide office.
Congressman?
- You have a concession speech ready? - You're not gonna need it.
Make sure you have language about how this wasn't a racial or ethnic thing.
"Let's all join hands and unite behind..." You know.
Yes, sir. Thank you, congressman.
Bram, make sure I have a direct number for Senator Vinick in Los Angeles.
Don't give him Vinick's number without talking to me.
He said he wants me to get...
If I didn't know what he said, why would I tell you to ignore it?
More coffee?
I was just gonna mainline adrenaline.
Couldn't find a clean needle.
When this is over, we should go into business together.
Ying and Yang Political Consultants, Inc.
Our motto can be, "Ain't about the ideals, it's about the money, stupid."
Pithy. You don't think it might scare off prospective clients?
Only the neophytes.
We'd be fighting off five-term congressmen with a stick.
Seriously, we should talk about it.
You're not going with the senator?
Tiny cubicle in the West Wing, your own table at the Oval Room...
...guaranteed spot in every book index for the next four years?
Not much of a Make-the-Trains- Run-on-Time kind of guy.
I like the gladiatorial arena, two candidates...
...whacking away at each other with a healthy ad buy.
Thanks.
But I am done.
I'm going home.
Yeah, where's home?
Upstate New York. Essex County.
Bought a big house on the Hudson there that I never get to see.
I was thinking about planting some flowers.
Putter around the garden a little.
Flowers?
We're ahead by 2000 votes in Oregon.
Anything less than 3500 is an automatic recount.
Nevada, we're behind by a few hundred.
- But anyone can request a recount. So... - Yeah.
We have legal teams on the ground both in Salem and Carson City.
So do the Republicans.
We need to talk about a possible legal challenge from Vinick in case we win.
Oregon is ripe for a challenge.
Nevada's got seniors with winter homes. How many voted in home states?
Ten thousand voters had absentee ballots in New York and Florida four years ago.
We had reports of fraud on Indian reservations...
...intimidation of Latino voters... - That's just a few.
- A few might be all we need. - If that's how I win...
...it gives me a mandate for what, chasing ambulances?
What the hell is that?
- We just won Oregon. - All right.
It all comes down to Nevada.
"Winner takes all" has always been part of the Silver State's ethos...
... but what happens in Nevada tonight certainly won 't stay in Nevada.
As the future president...
We decimated our field operation in Nevada.
To move it to California, where we won by only 80,000 votes.
We should have taken the bodies from anywhere but Nevada.
The RNC has a team of lawyers waiting.
They wanna file for a recount in Nevada if Santos wins.
- No. - If Santos wins Nevada...
...it'll be by maybe 10, 20,000 votes.
- Over a million registered. - No.
I know you don't want one of those junk lawsuits that you rail about.
- You're damn right. - This isn't that.
This is about people getting who they voted for.
Taking a few days to ensure that our voters were heard.
Thousands of voters in Nevada are sunbirds.
They're registered in other states.
Within four years ago, 10,000 voters...
I'll be a winner or I'll be a loser.
I won't be a sore loser.
Senator, if you win, the Santos people are gonna be filing a lawsuit...
...before the secretary of state of Nevada is finished reading results.
Sir, this is it. There are no second acts in American politics, not anymore.
You hate this, we all hate this, but if this happens...
...and you don't challenge it, you're gonna wake up...
...in a week, maybe two, and regret it for the rest of your life.
Hey.
- Congressman, you need something? - No, no.
I had to get out of that room.
Same old talking heads babbling the same drivel to fill up airtime.
They could run it on a continuous loop, no one would even notice tonight.
Did we even campaign in Nevada?
I seem to vaguely remember something...
...about a convention center a couple of months back.
An airplane hangar. We were on the ground 20 minutes.
Should've had you move there couple of years ago.
Maybe even headline a show at the MGM Grand.
Yeah, well. Who knew?
Barry Goodwin and the lawyers are planning a march on Washington...
...if we don't win. What do you think?
I think you got some of the best legal minds in the party.
Come on. Straight up.
I think you're young...
...smart, the party's presumptive nominee four years from now...
...win or lose.
Take it to court, you're the guy who screams at the ump...
...because they don't like the call. Nobody votes for that guy again.
Been a hell of a ride, though, hasn't it?
Yeah.
It has.
Congressman?
We think they're getting ready to call Nevada.
Yeah?
Send her in.
Yeah?
Sorry to disturb you, Mr. President.
You wanted me to wake you when there was a result.
Do we have a winner?
Yes, sir. We do.
- Thank you. - You're welcome.
- It's only 30,000 votes. - You have to challenge it.
Shall I bring in the lawyers? They're waiting outside.
You really think it's a counting error?
Anybody know how many Hispanics live in Nevada now?
Yeah. But how many of them are illegal?
Get the president-elect on the phone.
I wanna congratulate him.
Ladies and gentlemen, could I have your attention, please.
You've heard me say it before, and I have meant it every single time.
Speech is on the podium.
Thanks, Bram.
For everything.
It's the best thing I've ever done in my life.
I think we may find a way to top it.
The next president of the United States, and the next first lady:
Matthew and Helen Santos.
Thank you.
Thank you so very much.
Thank you.
Thanks for sticking around all night.
You know, if you haven't left this room in a while, the sun is coming up.
First, I wanna say a special word of thanks to Senator Vinick...
... and I ask you all to join me in applauding his lifetime of service.
Arnie Vinick made this a better campaign...
... and he's made this a better country for all of us.
My father was a barber, my mother a domestic servant.
And I never dreamed that I'd have this chance to serve...
...so many people, in so many ways.
It would be easy for me to stand here...
... and claim a sweeping mandate for the next four years.
I can 't do that. This was a razor-thin election.
My intention is to be the president of everyone.
Black or brown, yellow or white, Republican or Democrat.
I've got a lot of reaching out to do.
America has become more polarized.
You can 't run for president and not see that.
Our votes may have been divided, but our country will not be divided.
Because ultimately it's not about left or right, it's about doing right.
Together we are going to lift up those who have been left out.
We are going to ensure that the promise of America...
... is not the privilege of the few, but the birthright of all Americans.
I am more grateful than I can say.
You have given me an opportunity that comes to few people.
Perhaps fewer are worthy of it. God bless you, and God bless America.
Thanks, boss.
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