Elizabeth "Bess" Adams McCord is a fictional character and the protagonist of the CBS political drama series Madam Secretary.

Born in Virginia, Elizabeth Adams and her brother Will (Eric Stoltz) were orphaned when young when both their parents died in a car accident.

[3] Immediately prior to her appointment as Secretary of State, Elizabeth held a professorship at the University of Virginia and is depicted as holding a doctorate.

[4] Elizabeth worked as a CIA analyst for 20 years; she resigned from her position over an ethical dilemma just as she was being considered for promotion to Station Chief in Baghdad.

Not a natural politician, Elizabeth frequently clashed with White House Chief of Staff Russell Jackson (Željko Ivanek).

On election night, Dalton wins several key states, including Pennsylvania, guaranteeing that neither major-party candidate secures a majority.

In "Better Angels", Elizabeth holds a public gathering at her family farm, during which she officially announces her candidacy for the presidency of the United States.

Against the advice of her campaign manager Mike B, McCord decides to underscore her message of unity and opposition to entrenched partisanship by offering the vice presidency to her old rival, Senator Carlos Morejon (José Zúñiga).

Although Morejon is reluctant to abandon the Republican Party, McCord promises to give him a chance to argue his own opinion on every policy she enacts.

When she takes office as Secretary of State, Elizabeth inherited all of her entire senior staff from her late predecessor, with the exception of her personal assistant Blake Moran (Erich Bergen) and her new policy advisor Kat Sandoval (Sara Ramirez).

Her senior staff at the State Department consists of: In "Blame Canada", Elizabeth fires Allen Bollings (John Finn), the chief negotiator responsible for peace talks with Iran.

[11][12] In "The Essentials", Nadine Tolliver retires from the State Department in order to spend more time with her family in San Francisco.