Native South Carolinian Stephen Colbert—who spent a good amount of time in December trying to acquire the naming rights to the South Carolina primary (“The Colbert Nation Super PAC Presidential Primary")—has been flirting with entering the Republican race for quite awhile. But on his show last night, he took a step closer to sealing the deal after a new South Carolina Republican primary poll found him beating out legitimate candidate Jon Huntsman. “I’m sorry Gov. Huntsman. I guess the Colbert bump reflected off of you and bounced back to me. That happens in the rare instances when my guests are whiter than I am,” he said.
Colbert lamented that he—like many Republicans—wasn't totally in love with leader Mitt Romney, before stumbling upon the fresh face who could swoop in: “Oh my God! It's me! It all makes so much sense! …my heart always leads me to me! And I am so not Mitt!” Public Policy Polling was curious to see what effect Colbert might have on South Carolina were his name on the ballot, which inspired Colbert: "This just got real. A major pollster has me at 5 percent, ahead of the third place finisher in New Hampshire.”
He ended the show promising fans he would “go home, sit down and talk it over with my money,” before making a “major announcement” on his show tonight. Of course, as ABC noted, this is all very silly—everyone knows actors can't be legit serious Republican candidates!
