Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Succession season 4!
Succession‘s big presidential race has finally occurred, and here’s what the events of Succession season 4, episode 8 mean for the end of the series. Although it hasn’t been the main story, much of Succession seasons 3 and 4 has focused on the build-up to the incredibly important presidential race between Republican candidate Jeryd Mencken and Democratic candidate Daniel Jiménez, and the election has finally concluded. The election results were already controversial in Succession season 4, episode 8, and they will surely play into the rest of the show, so here’s how Succession‘s new president could affect season 4’s ending.
Succession season 4, episode 8 is out now, continuing many of the exciting storylines that the series has already set up. Season 4 has been an explosive one so far, with it featuring all kinds of massive twists and reveals, including the death of Succession antagonist Logan Roy. Despite this, the Roy siblings have continued to heavily focus on the presidential election, with the various employees at Waystar Royco being divided between the two fictional candidates. Episode 8 takes place on election night, with the Roy siblings attempting to run ATN as their various ideological and personal beliefs come head to head.
Is Mencken Really The President? What About Wisconsin’s Missing Votes?
Although it was a close race, it seems that Republican presidential candidate Jeryd Mencken is the president by the end of Succession season 4, episode 8. According to how ATN called the race, Jeryd Mencken overcame Daniel Jiménez by only a few votes, putting him in the White House. However, ATN was the first network to call the race in favor of Mencken, and this may be Mencken’s downfall. Tom and Waystar Royco’s polling professionals were hesitant to call the race in favor of Mencken so early, but since they jumped the gun, other news organizations began following suit. However, there is one problem: Wisconsin.
As is revealed in Succession season 4, episode 8, a polling location in Wisconsin caught fire on election night, burning an indeterminate amount of ballots. Due to how the rest of the electoral votes fell, Wisconsin was the deciding factor in Succession‘s presidential race. ATN decided to call the race in favor of Mencken due to the state leaning red at the time. However, it was believed that the ballots that burned in Wisconsin would have leaned heavily blue, flipping the state and giving Jiménez the presidency. So, while it seems that Mencken is the president for now, this could change depending on if Wisconsin’s missing votes are counted.
Mencken Becoming President Is Great For Roman & Connor Roy
Jeryd Mencken becoming president is divisive among Succession‘s main characters, but it’s great for Roman and Connor Roy. Roman has had a close partnership with Mencken throughout Succession season 4, with the youngest Roy son wanting Mencken to win for one reason: the GoJo deal. Mencken has promised Roman that, if he is elected president, he will block the GoJo deal. This means that Roman will continue to be the co-CEO of Waystar Royco, with this position being one of Roman’s only motivators.
Similarly, Mencken’s presidency is great for Connor. Due to Connor’s libertarian beliefs, his ideological alignment is closer to Mencken’s conservative policies than Jiménez’s liberal ones. Besides that, Connor made a deal with Mencken that, if he conceded the race, Mencken could get Connor a governmental job overseas. Mencken winning means that he will have more power to do this, helping Connor’s nepotism deal get even better.
Mencken Becoming President Is Bad For Shiv, Matsson & America
On the other hand, Mencken becoming president is bad for Shiv, Matsson, and the entirety of the United States of America. Shiv and Lukas Matsson have been really pulling for the GoJo deal to go through. However, due to Mencken’s promise to block the deal, it probably won’t happen now. Matsson is the CEO of GoJo, and Shiv has put all of her eggs into the GoJo basket, meaning that they are both in for a rude awakening when the government blocks the merger.
However, the even bigger issue is that Mencken’s presidency is bad for America. As even Mencken’s supporters point out, Mencken is pretty fascistic, with some worrying that he could be the end of democracy. Mencken is definitely a far-right politician, with some of his supporters resorting to violence throughout Succession season 4, episode 8. It isn’t known how heavily Succession will explore Mencken’s damage to the United States, but it is sure to be pretty catastrophic.
Is Mencken Being President Good Or Bad For Kendall? It’s Complicated
Although most of Succession‘s other main characters had a pretty strong opinion on the presidential race, Kendall is a lot more conflicted. On the one hand, Kendall doesn’t fully align ideologically with Mencken. While Kendall is most definitely conservative, he is more centrist than the far-right presidential candidate. On top of that, Kendall found out that a Mencken supporter pushed his daughter down in the previous episode. Kendall is worried that a Mencken presidency could lead to more violence against his family, making him even more hesitant to support the Republican candidate.
On the other hand, Kendall does have some pro-Mencken leanings, for reasons similar to his brother. Kendall really wants to stop the GoJo deal, and he knows that Mencken will do it. Because of this, Kendall ends up choosing to support ATN calling the race for Mencken, although he may come to regret this by the end of Succession. The election storyline has shown that Kendall continues to be one of Succession‘s most complex characters, with his reaction to the election most likely playing a big role in Succession‘s final episodes.
What Does Real Life Reveal About Mencken Being Elected President?
Succession‘s presidential election has a lot of obvious parallels to real life, with Mencken’s presidency being a clear allegory to Donald Trump’s presidency. Like Trump, Mencken’s far-right positions and rhetoric have procured him a dedicated, radical, and violent base of followers. However, Mencken also takes a lot of cues from how figures on the right have reacted to the political landscape after Trump’s presidency. Mencken’s mannerisms and attitude are a little more reserved, yet still overtly far-right, making him more similar to Ron DeSantis or Richard Spencer. While Succession has always been political, episode 8 is the most apparent it’s been.
New episodes of Succession air Sundays on HBO.
