Plot summary for
The Contender (2000) More at IMDbPro »

A political thriller about Laine Hanson, a senator who is nominated to become Vice President following the death of the previous office holder. During the confirmation process, Laine is the victim of a vicious attack on her personal life in which stories of sexual deviancy are spread. She is torn as to whether she should fight back, or stick to her high principles and refuse to comment on the allegations. Although it isn't easy, she sticks to her guns, and in the end she is rewarded for it. Written by Ted Johnson

After his Vice-president suddenly dies, the President (Jeff Bridges) who is near the end of his final term, decides to leave a legacy by selecting a woman to fill the position. Enter a Senator (Joan Allen), who has shifted from the Republican Party to the Democratic. Initially appearing to be the perfect candidate, an allegation suddenly appears that she had been involved in a sexual orgy as a 19 year old in college. The confirmation committee chairman (Gary Oldman), a Republican, leaks the information to the press, while using the press discussion as a forum to bring it into the hearings. The chairman desires to get a Governor (William Petersen) into the office. The Governor had become a national hero when he attempted to rescue a young woman from a car that crashed from a bridge into deep water near where the Governor had been fishing. Written by John Sacksteder {jsackste@bellsouth.net}

The vice-president has died while in office. President Jackson Evans wants to leave a legacy of being the president to have a woman in the office of vice-president. Senator Laine Hanson gets his nomination, but information and disinformation about her past surfaces that threatens to de-rail her confirmation. Written by Alan Deikman {Alan.Deikman@ieee.org}

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