Stephen Colbert to run for president; may actually get votes
Photo Credit: MTVN Images
Wes Murry
January 12, 2012
Filed under Politics
Comedian and satirist, Stephen Colbert, announced on his show, The Colbert Report, that he would be pursuing the republican nomination for president. His announcement comes eight days before the South Carolina primary. South Carolina is his birth state and has given him support in the polls. On Tuesday, a PPP poll revealed that 5% of those polled supported Stephen Colbert, putting him ahead of third-place winner of the New Hampshire primary, Jon Huntsman.
This is Colbert’s second run for president. His first was in 2008, but he quit his campaign after only a few days due to issues with filing fees. This year may be different, however. Colbert actually has a super PAC, which he was legally granted in June 2011. On Thursday, Colbert transferred the super PAC to fellow Comedy Central political satirist, Jon Stewart. The super PAC allows for Colbert to raise funds. Stewart announced on Thursday that super PAC was renamed “Definitely Not Coordinated with Stephen Colbert Super PAC”. Colbert did not announce how much money the super PAC has made, but he hinted on his show that it was a shockingly large amount of money.
While campaigning hasn’t happened yet in South Carolina for Colbert, it is likely that with whatever cash his campaign has, he will be able to take some votes. Being a comedian and not an actual politician, Stephen Colbert is likely to receive few true votes. South Carolinian democrats, who have no one to vote for because President Obama is the only Democratic candidate available, will likely step into the primaries and give Colbert their support. Colbert could take some votes from republicans in his own state, but it is likely that he’ll get some votes, and retire back to his show with boosted ratings.
