Seeking Another Term in ‘The West Wing’

He’s prime-time television’s top elected official, and now he wants a second term.

NBC, which airs the critically acclaimed “The West Wing,” has announced that President Josiah Bartlet--played by Martin Sheen--will open the show’s third season by announcing he will run for a second term.

Viewers will recall that last season’s finale ended with Sheen getting ready to address a crowd, presumably to declare whether or not he would run.

Throughout the episode, he was dogged by the fear of what would happen when he told the world he suffered from multiple sclerosis, the disease characterized by nerve degeneration. He was also traumatized by the death of his secretary and longtime friend Mrs. Landingham, played by Kathryn Joosten.

The announcement of his decision to run for reelection was heavily implied by an earlier flashback scene, in which a young Mrs. Landingham observes that Bartlet thrusts his hands into his pockets and smiles when he resolves to take on a tough assignment. Bart-let did just that as the season finale ended.

The premiere is set to air Sept. 19.

It will come just three days after the 53rd annual Emmy Awards show, for which “The West Wing” received 18 nominations--second only to 22 for the HBO series “The Sopranos.”