Matthew Vincente "Matt" Santos is a fictional character on the American television show The West Wing, played by Jimmy Smits. His initial appearance was as a Democratic U.S. Representative from Houston, Texas; and he was elected to succeed Josiah Bartlet as President in final episodes of the series. According to David Remnick's biography of Barack Obama, "The Bridge," and other news sources, West Wing writer and producer Eli Attie used then-State Senator Obama as a model for the character.