Margo Martindale Is Heading to The Good Wife and Eli Better Watch Out!

Margo Martindale is joining The Good Wife as a campaign operative who will go "toe-to-toe with Eli Gold" (Alan Cumming) in Season 7, CBS announced Thursday.

Martindale will recur as Willa Eastman, who's successfully championed underdog presidential candidates in Iowa and who "hides her intelligence and cunning under a fake, folksy charm," according to CBS. Lest we forget, in the Season 6 finale, Peter (Chris Noth) told Alicia (Julianna Margulies) that he's been asked to run for president to be a viable VP candidate. So, will Willa be on Team Florrick or a rival's?

"Every year we look for a character and an actor who can go toe-to-toe with Eli Gold and make him blink," showrunners Robert and Michelle King said in a statement. "So we were thrilled when Margo Martindale agreed to play Willa Eastman. Her ability to mix comedy and drama is unparalleled. And we can't wait to see how Margo and Alan deal with each other."

Fall TV Preview: Which new shows will you add to your Watchlist?

Martindale previously recurred on The Americans, but left the show due to scheduling conflicts when she landed a role on The Millers. (She returned for one episode last season after The Millers was abruptly canceled.) Martindale also won an Emmy for playing Mags Bennett on Justified.

As previously announced, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is coming aboard as a series regular and Cush Jumbo has also landed a recurring role.

The Good Wife returns on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 9/8c on CBS. Are you looking forward to meeting Willa Eastman?

(Full disclosure: TVGuide.com is owned by CBS.)

VIDEO: The Good Wife's best elevator scenes