Clay Everhurst, a young staffer working on the campaign of an aspiring Senator, is killed in apparent hit and run in Sherman Oaks. However, upon closer examination of the video footage that captured the event, it's clear that Clay was intentionally murdered, and it's up to NCIS to not only find out why, but prevent any harm from coming to others in the campaign as well. To do so, Kensi gets sent undercover on the campaign of upstart politician Monica Tenez, where she gets Clay's old job. Kensi accesses the campaigns internal emails from within, and Eric and Nell spend hours sifting through them, searching for clues. When Kensi narrowly saves Tenez from a sniper's bullet, it's clear that someone definitely has an issue with Tenez and her campaign. Tenez feels the pressure to bow out of the race, but Eric and Nell make a break in the case just as she's set to make that announcement. Lisa Tran, another campaign staffer, had been secretly siphoning donation money into a private account. Tran killed Clay because he uncovered the scam, then attempted to kill the campaign finance manager to ensure no one ever found out. Callen, Sam, and Kensi take Tran down before she can kill anyone else, and Tenez' resilience through the ordeal results in a spike in her poll numbers.
