After an extremely long and tortuous hiatus, Scandal officially returns Thursday night. I’m sure my fellow Gladiators are thrilled. That said, what does the remainder of Season 5 have in store for its fans? Well, one thing is for sure. Fitz will only be president for a short while longer, which means, in addition to Mellie, presidential candidates are going to be stepping forward.
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So, who else do you think will run for the leader of the United States? Per usual Scandal and Shonda Rhimes fashion, their identities are being kept on the down low. However, based on an interview Bellamy Young (Mellie) had with Entertainment Weekly, it seems like the anonymous candidates will please fans.
“I think I’d best not tease, but it will shape up swiftly,” she said after being asked whether Susan Ross will run for president. “Some folks will be a surprise, some folks will be folks you know very, very well, some folks you may not have seen in a minute. It’s good and juicy.”
While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Tony Goldwyn (Fitz) mimicked Young’s response. He said, “Let’s put it this way, Shonda is drawing some inspiration from the current campaign in a lot of different ways.” Goldwyn then added, “You will be surprised by some fresh faces in the campaign. There are some cool faces.”
In keeping with Goldwyn and Young’s statements, Joe Morton (Papa Pope) appeared on The Real Wednesday, where he opened up about the upcoming election. “The only thing that I’ll tell you is that this is an election year,” he teased. “So this is Fitz’s last term in office. And there are lots of people who are sort of very interested to see who’s going to take his place and who’s gonna help him get there — whoever that person might be.”
And with that, let’s talk about who may or may not be running for president on Scandal.
1. Mellie Grant
Obviously, Mellie is already running. She has a very good chance at becoming the next president, especially if Olivia becomes her campaign manager.
2. Susan Ross
Not only does she have experience as vice president, but per Goldwyn’s chat with THR, it sure seems like Susan is a contender. “Susan Ross is someone Fitz is trying to look out for and we get into that and that ambition,” he explained. Then, after being asked if she is running for president, Goldwyn said, “She’s thinking about it.”
3. Ricardo Chavira
The former Desperate Housewives actor (he played Carlos Solis) was just cast in a mysterious new and recurring role, as reported by Entertainment Weekly. He will first appear in the second episode after Scandal‘s return from winter hiatus, which may or may not be as a presidential candidate.
4. Annabeth Gish
Like Chavira, Gish’s recurring Season 5 role is being kept under wraps, Deadline reports. With that said, she could easily be another person in the running for president.
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5. Sally Langston
She’s already been vice president. She’s already tried running for president. Even though she is the host of her own political talk show, Sally Langston could easily join the presidential race.
6. Rowan Pope
I mean, would this really surprise Scandal fans? Now that he is free from prison (thanks to Olivia), Papa Pope might just try getting into the Oval Office, where he could do even more damage as the leader of the free world.
7. Leo Bergen
Leo Bergen certainly knows all about politics better than most, so what’s to say that he might not try to run for president? Just think, if he won and he and Abby got married that would make Abby the first lady. Whoa.
8. Edison Davis
Olivia’s former fiancé, Edison Davis, could also tackle the presidency. He is a senator, has experience as the senate majority leader and knows the ins and outs of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He sure sounds like a good candidate.
9. Olivia Pope
I doubt this will happen, but if anyone could rule the world, it’s Olivia Pope. I mean, she basically ran Fitz’s presidency, so she is no stranger to the feat.
Scandal returns with new Season 5 episodes Thursday, Feb. 11 at 9/8c on ABC.
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