In this satirical political comedy, Senator Melvin G. Ashton is an inept U.S. senator who dreams of the presidency. He leans on his tireless publicist, Lew Gibson, to stage attention-grabbing stunts that keep him in the headlines while his personal life grows messier. His girlfriend, a local newspaper reporter named Poppy McNaughton, hopes for a serious political future, but the constant publicity stunts strain their relationship as the campaign begins to loom larger than life.
When Ashton arrives at a hotel in New York City, a bold publicity gambit is proposed: join the Cherokee tribe for a publicity boost. He eagerly agrees, seeing the move as a clever way to cultivate a larger public image, even as the idea borders on the absurd. At the same time, Fred Houlihan, a seasoned political boss, pushes him to step down from the race, warning of risk and consequence. Ashton—undaunted—refuses, but then gives a long, defiant public speech in which he openly denies that he is running for president, embracing the chaos rather than steering away from it.
Into this turbulent mix steps Valerie Shepherd, who arrives to join the campaign and quickly makes an impression. Valerie Shepherd brings energy and ambition, and Lew finds himself drawn to her, adding another layer of tension to the political chessboard. The personal and political collide as Poppy, appalled by Ashton's baffling incompetence, ends their relationship. Newspapers begin to publish articles tracing Ashton's unlikely road to the presidency, and Houlihan doubles down, pressing him to withdraw while scheming behind the scenes.
Ashton's star rises during a cross-country tour designed to win over voters, and he returns to address a packed Madison Square Garden, riding a wave of public support and momentum. Yet the story takes a sharper turn when Ashton discovers his diary—an explosive record of scandalous party activity spanning decades—has gone missing. He suspects a hotel room service clerk named Karl, while Lew accuses Poppy of the theft. In the meantime, Ashton's former secretary, Robert Oakes, is found with the diary but insists that someone else stole it before he could get his hands on it. The investigation widens, and Lew uncovers a new lead: Valerie's beau, Bill Fisher, is a political foe who has started a petition to dig into Ashton’s past in his home state. From a web of clues, Poppy deduces that Valerie herself is behind the diary’s disappearance.
With the diary’s contents potentially catastrophic, Houlihan again urges Ashton to step down, offering him a different, lucrative job if he agrees. The compromise seems like a practical escape hatch, and Ashton considers it. In a twist of fate, Poppy manages to retrieve the diary from Valerie but then loses it to Lew, who brings the good news to Ashton. Houlihan makes another push to pull Ashton back into the race, but Lew decides the truth must be revealed. He returns the diary to Poppy, and when the diary is finally published, Ashton and his bosses have no choice but to flee.
The fallout lands them on a remote South Sea island, where Ashton’s later fate becomes a farcical punchline: he ends up as the chief of the native population. The film tracks a spiral of publicity, power plays, and personal entanglements, all underscored by a wry sense of political satire.
