Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert has long blurred the lines between comedian and politician. He formed his own Super PAC to raise funds and run political advertising and at one point had a top tier staff running the operation. Colbert has decided to take the operation to the next level –the comedy host has transferred control of his PAC to colleague Jon Stewart in order to run for president on the Republican primary ballot in his home state of California.
The move was prompted by the news that a pollster that decided to test Colbert’s name against the Republican challengers in South Carolina found that he performed better against former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. While Huntsman is not as strong a candidate in the Palmetto State as he was in New Hampshire, losing to a comedian who is not in the race is not insignificant.
Colbert decided to seize on the momentum and get in the race, but having missed the filing deadline to get on the South Carolina ballot (a state that does not allow write in candidates), Colbert moved to get the signatures necessary to get his name on his home state’s ballot.
Campaign finance laws prohibit Colbert to coordinate with his PAC as a candidate, so he was required to transfer control of that institution. His PAC “Making a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow” can still raise funds and run advertising, but now it truly has a mission. Rather than running comedic commercials lampooning the current set of Republican presidential candidates, the PAC can promote Colbert himself.
Art imitates life, so why shouldn’t it imitate politics?
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