Alda's characther didn't make sense for similar geographic reasons. Not only was he a Republican Senator from California, he had been an incumbent for like 20 years and won the GOP nomination as an openly pro-choice "moderate" Republican (though supposedly he was conservative on everything else). Both scenarios are very unlikely in modern-day America (a Republican winning statewide in California for decades and the GOP nominating an openly pro-choice Republican in the post-Reagan era). If I had written the character, I'd change him to an Ohio Republican and make him pro-abortion in private and earlier in his career but claim to be a "change of heart" on the issue to win the nomination nationally.
DJ, and AU, I think you’ve both told me you never watched “The West Wing” but I’m pinging you too.
I’d have trouble seeing him win the GOP nomination being pro-choice but ok, maybe it was a horrible field with Lard A*s former Acting President John Goodman as the main conservative. I have less trouble seeing him continuing to win reelection in CA as an incumbent John McCain type (McCain is conservative to Aaron Sorkin, I’m sure). Only his last couple elections should have been difficult.
What really bothered me was the ridiculous election results, even taking into account the stupid “nuclear accident” that turned it into a close race. Homestate Texas for Jimmy Smits, who’d never run statewide before, because Hispanics. No. Arizona was for Smits but Nevada was super close and in doubt till 3am? Vermont for Vinick? Vermont (even Josh Lyman, their expy of Rahm, flipped out over that) and Maine, a shoutout to Alf Landon? But not NH? Because they loved President Bartlett too much to ever vote Republican again? South Carolina for Smits, because they had a nuclear plant? (That’s where I went “WTF”) Homestate Cali Holds for Vinick despite all the Hispanics because he does better than expected in the bay area? What a bunch of garbage.
The only thing very realistic was Vinick’s subpar performance in the weird debate episode.