Who will remain by Frank’s side when it’s all said and done?
Frank’s way of manipulating people in office and promising seats/positions after winning elections wasn’t effective when he took the oath to run the White House. It almost felt like his luck ran out. Either that, or people got tired of playing into his chess plots that only benefited him. Almost every attempt at a move backfired on him this season, with plenty of them doing more damage than help. He played the part of a dictator more heavily in season three, giving everyone in his way an ultimatum: “It’s my way or the highway.”
Everything has crumbled for him going into the biggest day of his career. The unwritten book made Claire realize she was in a relationship she didn’t want to be in. Jackie Sharp played him and endorsed Heather Dunbar. He pushed his staff to resignation.
Who is really left to ride for him during the final stretch?
At this point it seems like it’s just the skeleton crew of Doug Stamper, Seth Grayson and Edward Meechum. Oh, and the millions of Americans he has fooled along the way.
It’s plausible that he works things out with Claire, woos Jackie Sharp back on to his side, uses Heather Dunbar to his advantage after beating her in the re-elections and things go smoothly during his second tenure as President. Probably not, though.