Don Butler

Reverend Don Butler is a fictional conservative televangelist from Virginia, played by Don S. Davis. He is a recurring character on the American television show The West Wing. He was a candidate for the Republican Party's nomination for President of the United States in the 2006 election, but was defeated by Arnold Vinick, a U.S. Senator from California. Little is known of Butler's background except that he described himself as having been raised "in a trailer park in the Appalachia".

In "In God We Trust", it is mentioned that Butler won primaries in conservative states that Vinick, a pro-choice moderate, could never have hoped to have won. It is also said that Butler was the last candidate standing against Vinick after the other candidates (Glen Allen Walken, Allard and three others) dropped out.

After Vinick secured the nomination, Butler became his first choice as running mate; despite Butler's strong criticism of Vinick's pro-choice views on abortion, Vinick thought highly of him and felt he needed Butler to unite the party and help Vinick gain support among pro-life social conservatives. Vinick attempted to offer the VP position to Butler, but Butler contended that he could serve neither as Vinick's running mate nor as his vice president, given their very different views on abortion. Vinick then turned to Governor Ray Sullivan of West Virginia, a pro-life conservative with more independent appeal and experience, who accepted the vice presidential...
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