The Candidate 1972

Marvin Lucas, a seasoned political consultant, faces a challenging assignment: he must find a Democratic challenger to oppose three-term California Senator Crocker Jarmon in a race that looks decided from the start. With no big-name Democrat stepping forward, Lucas identifies Bill McKay, the idealistic, handsome, and charismatic son of the popular former California governor. Bill McKay, the public interest lawyer with a rising profile, becomes the candidate Lucas hopes can carry a meaningful message to voters.

Lucas lays out a provocative deal: because the outcome seems fixed, McKay can campaign with complete freedom, speaking frankly about the issues and his convictions. McKay agrees, eager to push for his values and to test how far his ideals can travel on the campaign trail. The nomination comes easily, driven more by McKay’s name and appeal than by a hard-fought ideological battle. But Lucas soon delivers sobering news: the latest polls show McKay is on track to lose badly. The party expected defeat, but not humiliation, so Lucas asks McKay to temper his message to reach a broader slice of voters.

As McKay hits the road, his once-clear platform begins to soften into something more generic in an effort to appeal to moderates and independents alike. The shift helps his poll numbers rise, yet it creates a new tension: the media read McKay’s father’s silence as an endorsement of Jarmon, a misperception that threatens to derail the campaign. McKay reluctantly confronts his father and explains the problem, and the elder statesman explains to reporters that he is simply respecting his son’s wish to stay out of the spotlight for the moment.

With McKay narrowly trailing—nine points behind—the incumbent senator proposes a televised debate. McKay agrees to answer in a way that fits Lucas’s strategy, but the exchange takes a turn when, after the debate, he blurts out that the discussion did not address core issues like poverty and race relations. The outburst alarms Lucas, who fears it will damage the campaign. Reporters press McKay backstage, but the scene is upstaged when his father strides in to publicly praise his son, reframing the narrative around the elder McKay’s presence on the trail. The positive portrayal accelerates McKay’s comeback, and the dynamic with his father becomes a catalyst that narrows the polling gap.

As election day approaches, Lucas and McKay’s father organize a meet‑and‑greet with a labor union representative to discuss a potential endorsement. The union leader hints at a powerful partnership if both sides commit to collaboration, and McKay, through careful phrasing, signals cautious disinterest. The tension dissolves in a moment of uneasy laughter, and the public endorsement that follows further mobilizes California workers behind McKay, tipping public opinion toward a virtual tie with Jarmon.

McKay ultimately wins the election. In the finale, he escapes the victory party and draws Lucas into a secluded room as reporters flood the corridor outside. McKay asks the critical question, “What do we do now?” while the crowd’s clamor swells, and the film closes without a definitive answer, leaving the future of the new administration open to interpretation.

What do we do now?