Patricia Calhoun

technocratic authoritative polarizing policy-focused

A senior policy advisor involved in White House operations and a nominee for the FEC.

9 appearances

Also known as: Patty, Patty Calhoun, Calhoun

Patricia Calhoun's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

9 moments

S1E19 · Let Bartlet Be Bartlet

Raisin-Muffin Email Debacle and Leo's Quiet Directive

Not present; implied resolute and policy‑driven by Josh's description.

Patricia 'Patty' Calhoun is named and described as a Heritage‑linked policy figure who favors aggressive campaign‑finance overhaul; she functions as the controversial center of the outreach task Josh is given.

View full event

S1E19 · Let Bartlet Be Bartlet

Deploying Josh: The FEC Nominees Gamble

Not shown; inferentially at risk and politically controversial as the staff prepares for opposition.

Patricia 'Patty' Calhoun is introduced by Josh as the Heritage‑linked director and an aggressive campaign‑finance reformer; like Bacon, she is not present but is the policy lightning rod prompting the …

View full event

S1E19 · Let Bartlet Be Bartlet

Slate Rebuked; 'Don't Ask' Reform Runs Into a Wall

Absent but implicated — instantiated as a political token whose prospects hinge on staff calculations.

Referenced by Josh as one of the President's nominees; though absent, her candidacy is immediately judged politically risky, making her a proxy casualty of staff risk calculus.

View full event

S1E19 · Let Bartlet Be Bartlet

Josh Picks a Fight Over the FEC

Offstage — implicitly exposed to partisan pushback and confirmation risk.

Patricia Calhoun is named as the other White House nominee; though offstage, her candidacy functions as a technical, policy‑laden provocation intended to shift institutional votes and public framing.

View full event

S1E19 · Let Bartlet Be Bartlet

Muffins, Polls and a Reckoning: Let Bartlet Be Bartlet

Offstage; represented as an instrument of policy that will provoke partisan response.

Patricia Calhoun is referenced as another nominee and as part of the staff's anticipated confirmation fight; her presence exists as tactical leverage and a potential catalyst for legislative confrontation.

View full event

S1E20 · Mandatory Minimums

F.E.C. Nominees Announced — Senator Declares War

Absent physically; implied to be central to the administration's reform impulse and therefore a focal point for opposition ire.

Patricia Calhoun is announced as an F.E.C. nominee on live television; she is not present, but her naming functions narratively to provoke the Senate's anger and mark the administration's agenda …

View full event

S1E20 · Mandatory Minimums

When Levity Breaks and Retaliation Is Born

Not on-screen; narratively implied vulnerability to partisan attack and confirmation opposition.

Patricia Calhoun (called 'Patty' in room) is named as the second nominee; her technocratic reputation is invoked indirectly, and her naming escalates the room's hostility although she is not present …

View full event

S1E21 · Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

Closing the Soft‑Money Loophole — Bartlet's Lobell Deal

Not physically present; represented as an embodiment of the administration's reform agenda.

Patricia Calhoun is named as the second FEC nominee; her candidacy is used by Bartlet to imply a shift in commission votes, making her a bargaining chip though she does …

View full event

S1E22 · What Kind Of Day Has It Been

Walking the West Wing: Softball, Satellites, and the First Sting of Crisis

Neutral, professionally friendly; her greeting contributes to the everyday rhythm that masks underlying crises.

Greets the President with 'Good morning' as an aide/participant in the West Wing flow; her brief exchange underscores the familiar, collegial milieu Bartlet cultivates to humanize power.

View full event