Jeff Haffley

Jeffrey Haffley, played by Steven Culp, is a fictional Republican member of the United States House of Representatives representing the state of Washington. He has been Speaker of the House since 2003. He is a recurring character on the American television show The West Wing. Haffley appears to have been modeled on former Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich, and his adversarial relationship with Democratic President Josiah Bartlet mirrors the dynamic between Gingrich and President Bill Clinton.

Related Topics:
Steven Culp - Fictional - Republican - United States House of Representatives - Washington - Speaker of the House - 2003 - ''The West Wing'' - Newt Gingrich - Adversarial - President Josiah Bartlet - President Bill Clinton

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Haffley, together with Representatives Connelly and Mitchell, were dubbed the "Unholy Trinity" by Bartlet aide Joshua Lyman, and Lyman predicted (or perhaps hoped) that Mitchell, rather then Haffley, would be appointed to replace Glen Allen Walken as Speaker. Also according to Lyman, even Republicans considered Haffley to be a fascist, and Haffley harbours a deep dislike of Josh Lyman.

Related Topics:
Trinity - Joshua Lyman - Glen Allen Walken - Fascist

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The Republican leadership did in fact choose Haffley to be the next Speaker. Haffley wasted no time in confronting the Bartlet Administration, with the first major battleground being the President's nominee to succeed John Hoynes as Vice President of the United States. Bartlet's personal choice was his Secretary of State, Lewis Berryhill. Berryhill, a tremendously popular personality, would have been all but guaranteed the 2006 Democratic nomination for President, and thus Haffley and the Republicans conspired to thwart his candidacy. Haffley presented Bartlet with several candidates who could be confirmed easily, but who were considered unlikely choices to succeed Bartlet. Wanting to avoid a major floor fight, Bartlet eventually selected Representative Robert Russell (D-CO).

Related Topics:
Nominee - John Hoynes - Vice President of the United States - Secretary of State - 2006 - Robert Russell - D - CO

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Victorious, Haffley next confronted the President over the 2004 federal budget. Bartlet drew a line in the sand, leading to a near-total shutdown of the United States government. At first, Haffley and the Republicans were winning the war for public opinion, with Time magazine giving him the cover with the caption "The New Boss?" However, Haffley made a key public relations error by refusing to meet with Bartlet on Capitol Hill, and was forced to negotiate a budget on Bartlet's terms, instead of his last minute demands.

Related Topics:
2004 - Federal budget - Time - Magazine - Public relations - Capitol Hill

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Following the budget confrontation, Haffley's power diminished somewhat, but he vocally opposed President Bartlet's eventually successful Israeli-Palestinian peace summit as a betrayal of Israel.

Related Topics:
Israeli - Palestinian

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Although he did not personally seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2006, he did his best to embarass the Democrats during the primary season, several times calling a vote on stem cell research while many Democratic congressmen were out of town, and then calling the vote off when they returned. However, this backfired on the Republicans, when Representative Matthew Santos (D-TX) staged a successful maneuver to defeat the bill, giving additional publicity to the eventual Democratic nominee.

Related Topics:
Presidential - 2006 - Primary - Stem cell research - Matthew Santos - D - TX

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