Reverend Al Caldwell was a member of the Religious Right who was aligned with Mary Marsh and John Van Dyke.
Biography[]
Caldwell was a friend of the President and Leo McGarry and an ally of whom the White House felt need. He vowed to "make things right" after Bartlet's grand-daughter was threatened by a radical Christian group. (Pilot)
Later, after a group of Chinese Christians arrived in the United States, Caldwell attended meetings to discuss their right to live in the US. He pulled Josh Lyman aside to avoid "a Mary Marsh mudfight" that Sam Seaborn was engaging in, and said his church, or he himself, would pay for the passage of all those on the ship. Josh began to tell him about the cost, but Caldwell was aware of it already. He was seemingly the moderate face of the religious right, and frequently distanced himself from more extremist associates. (Shibboleth)