The host’s home state will have an open seat at the end of the year, and it looks like he’s making a bid for it. If nothing else, his fans want him to have it. But the governor may not be one of those people.
Stephen Colbert has been dabbling in politics for a while, but it’s been largely a publicity stunt related to the presidential campaign and his show, The Colbert Report. Until now.
Colbert has been “campaigning” on his show, telling his viewers to send South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley messages on Twitter, explaining why he should be the next senator for the state. Current senator Jim DeMint will be leaving his position this year, and the state is looking for his replacement. But for Colbert, this time it’s not outside the realm of possibility.
“According to a new poll released Monday afternoon by Public Policy Polling, Colbert tops the wish list of possible Senate replacements,” said the Huffington Post, “with 20 percent polled wishing to send him to the Senate. His closest runner-up is Tim Scott at 15 percent.”
Colbert is a native of South Carolina, but may have ruined his chances before he even started. Earlier this year, he had Governor Haley on his show and made what appears to be a mistake too big to take back.
“Haley responded Friday on her Facebook page with a link to her April appearance on Colbert’s show, where the host, who was raised in Charleston, did not know the state beverage is milk,” according to the Associated Press. “Haley wrote that was a ‘big mistake.'”
Of course it’s hard to tell if Colbert is joking about the campaign, and it’s also hard to tell if Haley is joking in return. But the numbers don’t lie, and it’s actually possible Colbert could eventually be given the appointment. If nothing else, it would definitely bring some notoriety to the state.
When Colbert asked his viewers to tweet the governor, he asked them to use the hashtag #SenatorColbert. Thousands of messages came in offering support for Colbert’s appointment.
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