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Colbert cannot appear as write-in candidate in South Carolina
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01/13/12 12:52 PM ET
Comedian Stephen Colbert is looking to have a say in South Carolina just over a week before the early state’s Republican primary.
“I am proud to announce I am forming an exploratory committee to lay the groundwork for my possible candidacy for the President of the United States of South Carolina,” Colbert announced on his Comedy Central show Thursday night.
Colbert’s media presence might stir things up in South Carolina ahead of the state primary on Jan. 21, but he will not play a role in the vote itself.
"Write-in votes are not allowed in political party primaries or for President and Vice-president," according to the South Carolina State Election Commission website.
That doesn’t mean Colbert won’t be showing up on future polls.
A PPP poll released Tuesday found that Colbert drew 5 percent support in South Carolina, ahead of GOP candidate Jon Huntsman, who does appear on the ballot.
Huntsman shrugged off the results in a recent interview on Fox News.
"Well, when I was on his show recently, he promised me the Colbert bump. I think we're getting that here in New Hampshire," he said. "Now I'm going to be looking for the Colbert bump in South Carolina."
Colbert mocked Huntsman’s response on his show, saying the “Colbert bump” seemed to have deflected off Huntsman and back onto Colbert.
It’s not the first time Colbert has leveraged his position to interact with the election cycle or comment on campaign finance laws.
Colbert attempted a run for president in 2008 by seeking to appear on South Carolina’s ballot. His bid was refused by the state Democratic Party.
Last year, Colbert sought to shed light on campaign finance law by filing to form his own super-PAC. The Federal Election Commission ruled in Colbert’s favor in June, allowing him to form a political action committee and use his show to promote it.
"I am sorry to say, we won,” Colbert said at the time.
On Thursday’s show, Colbert handed over control of his super-PAC to fellow Comedy Central host Jon Stewart, in order to follow federal election laws that demand no coordination between candidates and super-PACs supporting them. They renamed the PAC the “Definitely Not Coordinating with Stephen Colbert Super PAC.”
On the show, Colbert credited the landmark 2010 Supreme Court case that ruled independent spending for political purposes was protected under the first amendment.
“Thank you, God bless you, and God bless Citizens United,” Colbert said.
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