Ministry Roll Call: Who's Your Favorite Politician in Pop Culture?

We cast our votes for our fave fictional pols, from "Dave" to "Parks and Rec"

The 2024 presidential election has had as many twists and turns as an HBO prestige series. Vice President Kamala Harris replacing Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate was a real-life plot twist that inspired several viral memes, not to mention optimism and joy among those whose vote blue. The popularity of her candidacy, especially now that Tim Walz has joined as her running mate, inspired the Ministry of Pop Culture to share their picks for their favorite politicians in film and TV.

(Note: Veep’s hilariously profane Selina Meyers is our collective favorite, and her journey to the White House has echoes of Harris’ current trajectory.)

Charlotte Field (Long Shot)

Unlike the real world, pop culture teems with women Presidents of the United States. And the reason that Charlize Theron's Charlotte Field was elected POTUS in 2019’s Long Shot is why Kamala Harris has an excellent chance of winning too: They're both refreshingly human. 

Harris trying to stifle her laughter during Tim Walz's couch joke reminded me of some of Field's standout moments in the movie. From blowing off steam by hitting up a rave with her love interest (Seth Rogen), then expertly overseeing a hostage crisis while high on molly, she is a joy to watch. As portrayed by Theron, Charlotte Field shows that a woman can be a kickass politician while also being fun, flawed and even a bit silly too.  —Kirthana Ramisetti

Dave Kovic (Dave)

I have a soft spot in my heart for Kevin Kline's Dave. In the 1993 political comedy, Kline starred in dual roles as do-gooder Dave Kovic, who runs an employment agency in Washington, D.C., and heartless President Bill Mitchell, who orders his staff to defund programs that help homeless children. When Mitchell suffers a severe stroke and falls into a coma, Dave is called upon to impersonate him. But he can't hide his warmth, positivity and humble roots. His kindness disarms his critics. (Do we think Tim Walz is a fan of Dave? I'd put money on it.) —Erin Carlson

(For more of Erin’s thoughts on Dave, visit her Substack You've Got Mail.)

Leslie Knope (Parks and Recreation)

Since I am currently writing a book about Parks and Rec, I would be remiss in not mentioning the great Leslie Knope. But I would choose her even if I wasn't currently neck-deep in research about her.

Leslie had unabashed ambition from the beginning, and openly worshipped major female political figures from throughout history, but her striving always felt as if it was in the name of getting government to truly help people, not a power grab for herself. She exemplified hyper-competence. (Please see: the way she pulled herself out of a flu-medicine tailspin to pitch the crucial Harvest Festival to local business owners, or her filibuster on roller skates, or every single one of her three-ring binders.)

What I love about Leslie, besides her total disregard for being cool, is her depiction of the lifetime arc of a politician, from not-even-head of her department to city council, governorship, and, as strongly implied by the finale, the presidency.

I firmly believe that in some fictional-real world crossover timeline, Leslie is currently governor of Indiana and besties with Tim Walz, with whom she would get along famously. (Ron is a little jealous that she's got a new, slightly older male mentor in her life, but he'll never admit it.) She's out campaigning for Harris Walz with her trademark enthusiasm and doesn't mind at all that she'll end up being the second, rather than the first, female president. —Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

Moira Rose (Schitt’s Creek)

Did Moira Rose set out to become a local politician when she first stepped her elegant, spiked heels into the town of Schitt’s Creek? No, absolutely not. Did she turn out to be a good councilmember once begrudgingly elected? Well, hard to say, but we do know that she secured a hefty funding boost for the municipalities, performed a raucous musical number to try to get rid of the town’s asbestos and co-chaired a singles event that finally got Ted and Alexis back together (sigh.) 

More importantly, Moira’s town council — and the politics of Schitt’s Creek in general — were so refreshingly, deliciously, aspirationally mundane. This was a place where inclusivity, equality and kindness were embedded, unquestionably, into the fabric of society and the worst political clash occurred when a tacky Christmas store tried to come to town.

Come inauguration, and for the four years after that, I hope for even a fraction of that same kindness, inclusivity and blissful mundanity in our White House. Disgruntled pelicans need not apply. —Thea Glassman

Abraham Lincoln (Lincoln)

The two greatest depictions of American politicians onscreen are, not coincidentally, of the same man: Abraham Lincoln. Both Henry Fonda in John Ford’s Young Mr. Lincoln and Daniel Day-Lewis in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln are idealized representations of uniquely American virtue: plain-spoken, rough-hewn, indefatigably committed to justice and equality. 

Day-Lewis’ Lincoln, for which he won his third Oscar, appears to be carved out of blocks of craggy marble. But the secret of the movie — made, not at all coincidentally, shortly after the passage of the Affordable Care Act — is that epochal political accomplishments, like Lincoln’s passage of the 13th Amendment, outlawing slavery, are less about flowery rhetoric than the business of counting, collecting, and keeping votes. 

This Lincoln, as depicted in Tony Kushner’s scholarly script, is a peerless tactician, cajoler, and rhetorician, like Nancy Pelosi, Lyndon Johnson, and Barack Obama in one, knowing that each, in turn, may be needed to do the job. Want to understand American politics? Read Robert Caro’s Master of the Senate, then watch this movie. —Saul Austerlitz