- "If you were a Democrat, you'd be unstoppable. You'd be the next JFK."
- ― Frank Underwood
William "Will" Conway is a former Governor of New York and was the Republican Party nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 election.
Conway is married to Hannah and they have two kids named Charlie and Lilly. Their youth and strong values poses a threat to Frank who is middle age, having marital problems, and has no kids.
Conway went to law school and after graduating, he immediately signed up to serve in the United States Air Force after 9/11. He did so with the intention of jump-starting his political career. His grandfather is also a decorated war hero from WWII. He is possibly suffering with PTSD from his time in the air force, especially given the fact that he attempted to hijack his own plane.
Rise to the Executive Mansion
In the 2006 elections, Conway was elected New York State Comptroller and re-elected in the 2010 elections. He later won the 2012 election for Governor of New York, replacing Governor DeLuca.
Soon after the Conways moved into the Executive Mansion in Albany on January 1, 2015, the national Republicans quickly saw him as a future President and was later named the Republican nominee for the 2016 presidential elections after the disgraceful exit of Mendoza. Polls currently show him leading by double digits against President Underwood.
Presidential Campaign
Conway ran against Frank Underwood in the 2016 Presidential Election and proved to be a difficult adversary for the Underwoods to compete with. Capitalizing on his gubernatorial experience, his military record, and his youth, Conway ran a strong conservative campaign applying pressure on potential scandals surrounding Underwood and his administration, including his connections to former president Walker, Raymond Tusk, and all of his dealings while serving as both Vice President and House Majority Whip. Using his military expertise, Conway heavily criticized Underwood's handling of the Islamic Caliphate Organization (ICO), and to boost his polling numbers he offered to work alongside Underwood to free a family of three who was taken prisoner by two domestic ICO terrorists on American soil, as the terrorists specifically wanted to speak with him, though his help seemed ineffective as it was Underwood who secured the release of the wife and daughter.
Conway managed to effectively utilize social media during his campaign to project an image of wholesome family values consistent with a conservative campaign. Often streaming live video with his wife Hannah and their kids Charlie and Lily. Though, behind the scenes there was often tension and discord between Will and Hannah, especially as the campaign lingered on and election day approached.
The night before Election Day, Conway streamed live for 24-hours straight, taking successive video calls from voters who have questions. While he deftly handled many of the questions, a soldier who was rescued in an operation that Conway was famously apart of called in and expressed his thanks. But in offering some vague details of circumstances, Conway seemed slightly evasive. Another caller questioned why Conway, who was a pilot, would be involved in ground operations in the first place. Conway continued to evade, all suggesting the story behind his public heroism may not be what it seems.
When the Underwoods saw voter turnout failing them and their chances of winning the election slipping away, they secretly intervened by using false intelligence of potential terrorist strikes along with false flag operations at certain polling centers to shut those centers down. Conveniently for them, these polling centers were in conservative areas of both Ohio and Tennessee. This lead the election to a deadlock that stood for months ultimately forcing Congress to vote on the ticket, a method which hadn't been used since 1825 but was provided for in the Constitution wherein the House of Representatives elects the President and the Senate elects the Vice President. Both side's campaign advisors cautioning them that this could result in a split ticket if Conway won the House but Claire Underwood, Frank's running mate, won the Senate vote. Conway and turned his and his campaign's focus to the House calling Congressmen to petition for their vote when the election day came.
Conway continued to grow impatient as time wore on, having seen the voting trends in November before the polls were shutdown he knew he was on a trajectory to win the election. Yet he was helpless in the face of the Underwood's machinations.
Political positions
Conway is a Republican, who- at a 2016 presidential campaign rally, stated his philosophy of "less government, less taxes, more freedom". Conway also reinforces his family values, as seen from his frequent social media videos in which he includes his wife and children.
Conway is publicly critical of ICO (Islamic Caliphate Organization), stating that "they're Muslim extremists taking over oil fields in Syria. The media is barely covering them because the White House is turning a blind eye. As the Governor of New York, I can't turn a blind eye to terrorism- because it's been right here on our doorstep."
Conway is suggested to have a less conservative position on guns, after his wife Hannah tells Claire she thinks "America's gun obsession is madness. Will does too, but he can't admit it. Mustn't upset the base."
Characters met
Behind the Scenes
Will Conway was portrayed by Joel Kinnaman in Seasons 4 and 5 of House of Cards.
Appearances
| Season 4 | ||||
| "Chapter 40" | "Chapter 41" | "Chapter 42" | "Chapter 43" | "Chapter 44" |
| "Chapter 45" | "Chapter 46" | "Chapter 47" | "Chapter 48" | "Chapter 49" |
| "Chapter 50" | "Chapter 51" | "Chapter 52" | ||
| Season 5 | ||||
| "Chapter 53" | "Chapter 54" | "Chapter 55" | "Chapter 56" | "Chapter 57" |
| "Chapter 58" | "Chapter 59" | "Chapter 60" | "Chapter 61" | "Chapter 62" |
| "Chapter 63" | "Chapter 64" | "Chapter 65" | ||
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