Scandal 3.05 Sneak Peek: Mellie and Cyrus Go on the Hunt for a Campaign Manager

Fitz confirming his affair with Jeannine Locke this season on Scandal was either a suicide mission designed to further ding his likability so that reelection is impossible or a deeply cynical move where he knew that his party would be able to look past his infidelity once the next sex scandal broke. Either way, it was something that changed the direction of the season and of Fitz’s reelection campaign, because instead of being the President who survived an assassination attempt and a President who has a happy home, he’s a President who can’t keep it in his pants, something that has really damaged his hopes of winning over female voters. As a result, he’s going to need a hell of a campaign manager to make up the ground he lost and find some way to throw dirt on newest Democratic superstar Josie Marcus.

On tonight’s episode of Scandal, Cyrus and Mellie have called in Leo Bergen, who they hope to be Fitz’s campaign manager for the coming reelection bid. However, rather than being taken in by the promise of endless funds at his disposal and a well-oiled machine behind him, Leo decides that managing Fitz isn’t the thing for him; in his words, he doesn’t work with losers and Fitz, no matter what he’s been through or how many congenial primetime interviews he does with Mellie, has become a political loser in recent times. He’s someone a manager will have to pull up from the depths of political hell in order to give him a sniff of the Oval Office and he might be too far down in the court of public opinion to where spending months on a campaign would be a fool’s errand. No matter why Leo has decided to run from the opportunity of working with the President, Mellie and Cyrus have their work cut out for them if they want to retain the power they’ve enjoyed since they rigged the last election and worked their guy into the White House.

Elsewhere on Scandal, the team investigates Congresswoman Josie Marcus, while Mellie and Olivia have a run-in at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and Jake and Huck get closer to uncovering the truth about Operation Remington.

Scandal airs tonight at 10:00 on ABC.

Is Leo correct in his assessment of Fitz? Considering the President’s recent scandals and sullied reputation, will Mellie and Cyrus find the campaign manager to lead him to reelection? What will happen at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner with Mellie and Olivia?