Senator Stephen Colbert?

He's the most popular choice among South Carolina voters

South Carolina is looking for a new Senator after Jim DeMint announced he's stepping down to preside over the Heritage Foundation. Who could Governor Nikki Haley pick to temporarily replace him? If South Carolina citizens had a choice, it'd their most popular celebrity, Stephen Colbert.

That development comes from a poll published by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic-leaning organization, Talking Points Memo reports.

The breakdown: Colbert would grab 20% of registered SC voters with Rep. Tim Scott (R-SC) coming in at 15%, and Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) taking home 14%, according to the PPP.

While mock campaigns have come out supporting the satirist for Senate, he hasn't made any announcement. A spokeswoman told USA Today that he's flattered by the support. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will appoint a replacement Senator who'll serve until a special election in 2014, according to USA Today.

Via Talking Points Memo and USA Today

Would you like to see Colbert as a senator?

[woodtick57]

I doubt Colbert would take the pay cut to Senator....

[PNWest]

He'd be a great Senator but unfortunately South Carolina will probably send the Senate another dim witted neanderthal like DeMint .

[DogLady_1]

Didn't DeMint just resign from the Senate??? And what is wrong with DeMint? Not that I have checked him out thoroughly or anything, but he seems like a stand-up kinda guy...

[PNWest]

@DogLady_1 DeMint is a Tea Party leader with about the brains of a Tea Pot. He's leaving to go and lead the Heritage Foundation - a right wing propaganda outfit.

[Neo_NtheMatrix]

We do not need another liberal senator. I doubt the proud people of South Carolina would want Colbert to be their senator.

[kirbstomp1]

South carolinians are not very proud people. Their state government is very poorly managed and very poor in general. I live on the savannah river and go into Carolina often. It's a very dim state. They need someone whose going to try to put their state on the national level rather than being a laughed at state. The one thing they are proud of is having longer hunting seasons than Georgia. That's the reason I hunt across the river, they got big deer.

[DyingBreed]

@kirbstomp1 I actually love South Carolina. One of the lesser-invasive state governments. I actually feel more free there than in other states.

[kirbstomp1]

@DyingBreed -also takes in more federal government grants and federal money than almost every other state.

[DyingBreed]

@kirbstomp1 per person, yes. But nearly all of that money was purposed for Homeland Security for some reason. Overall though, South Carolina is #26 in Federal Grants.

[Denizen_Kate]

Doubt all you like, Neo, but read the article. Apparently, a poll of "the proud people of South Carolina" would indeed like to have Colbert as their senator.

[jessejaymes]

I think Colbert is hilarious. It would be worth seeing.

[NO-BAMA]

He's a comedy central clown. Yes, that is what the libs want for the country, (more stupidity) but America can't afford more liberal daydreamers running around with their Utopian fairy-tale.

[Cool_voter]

Best part is Stephen Colbert and John Stewart have a broader range of guest speakers than any other news program.

[NO-BAMA]

@Cool_voter You may be onto something there. Reading a teleprompter and asking non relevant questions qualifies someone to be a Senator??
Why not? It worked for Barry.

[paperdragons81]

If I lived in south carolina,if I knew anything about him, and if he isn't a socialist, I might think about it but that's a lot of ifs.

[RobertJHarsh]

Forget Colbert. Ever see a show called Once Upon a Time? Since we picking TV personalities to be Senators, I vote for Lana Parilla to be a Senator. She plays the evil queen and the corrupt evil mayor of a small town in Maine. I think she's better qualified that Colbert.

[jessejaymes]

Well if we're going to go with entertainment personalities I think I could adapt to Sofia Verega, Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriquez and a few other hotties who's names escape me at the moment.

[RobertJHarsh]

@jessejaymes Yeah but I chose Lana Parilla because she has actually played a politician on TV. I am not sure if any the women you listed has.

[IMAQT]

I know that Stephen Colbert may be news to some. But this week it was announced that the federal government is now financing 46 cents on every dollar spent and over the last 2 months since the start of our new fiscal year and we have increased the federal deficit by 300 billion. The federal government is now borrowing 5 billion per day to finance their costs. How long do you think that any household or business would stay afloat if they financed 46% of their costs? The deficit is the greatest threat to our future, but let's talk about Stephen Colbert cause that there is real news.

[jessejaymes]

What difference does it make? Reagan was the worst deficit spender of any USA president in history to his time. GH Bush eclipsed Reagan, GW Bush eclipsed GH Bush and now you're concerned? Because a Dem is about to take over 1st place? You're just now concerned? We could put Britney Spears, Madonna, Justin Bieber, Lady GaGa and 96 other music industry people in the Senate and fill up the house with actors and actresses and it wouldn't change a thing. I think what you're saying is you don't mind GOP spending but you don't want Dem spending. Right?

[IMAQT]

@jessejaymes Deficit spending is wrong regardless of party. You can argue with all the other partisan hacks on this site as to who is blame. To me, there is plenty to blame amongst both parties, but to try and pin blame on just one party, president, etc is laughable. I know it maybe hard for some to imagine, but not all of us are loyal to any one party. What we are doing to future generations is immoral.

[IMAQT]

@jessejaymes " I think what you're saying is you don't mind GOP spending but you don't want Dem spending. Right? " I would suggest you read what I say, because your "thinking" is leading you to false conclusions.

[Zazziness]

Though "court jester" isn't an official branch of government it is still much needed. Leave Colbert where he is, doing what he does well.

[acchokiefan]

IdI take a goddamn neanderthal over Demint. What an idiot. I wish the whole state would float out away for the continent and form its own island and then sink like a brick.

[Dan_Tien]

A quote from "über-conservative" Stephen Colbert: "If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it."

[MongoAPillager]

are you kidding,have you checked our spending on the "poor" lately?we spend more on the poor than a lot of countries total Gross Domestic Output!!!anytime anywhere their is a disaster or runny nose anywhere in the world who's the first there with food,money etc.1.3 trillion on welfare,we appropriated that much,i don,t know how much actually makes it to the poor? http://dailycaller.com/2012/10/18/report-welf...

[Dan_Tien]

@MongoAPillager I wasn't kidding. I was quoting.

[MongoAPillager]

@Dan_Tien k,that was my response to your quote,as steven was not present

[LGRepublican]

The people who want a clown like Colbert as their Senator are the same people who watch shows staring the likes of Snooki and Honey Boo Boo. We already have Stuart Smalley, we don't need this stooge.

[PoliticalSpice]

Never watched those two shows and don't know who stiart smalley is, but i think colbert would be a vast improvement over the senators s. carolina has choosen in my lifetime...

[Zazziness]

No, that's not fair. Colbert and Stewart are both razor-sharp political satirists. They are nothing remotely close to Honey Boo Boo.

[LGRepublican]

@Zazziness What you'd call razor sharp, I'd call dull as a butter knife....

[Denizen_Kate]

@PoliticalSpice - "Stuart Smalley" was a Saturday Night Live character portrayed by Al Franken.

[Zazziness]

@LGRepublican You have an odd set of standards, then. Both shows have numerous and prestigious awards, not to mention a broad range of high-profile guests, that confirm my assessment is not unusual.

[Antizealot]

‎"If Petraeus ran for president, Murdoch would pay for it, Ailes would manage it, and Fox News would sell it though their audience. Now if you think about it, a news network choosing the candidate sounds like a conflict of interest. So don't think about it."-Stephen Colbert

[bsking]

this is stupid. but it does explain what happened in this country. people make a mockery out of institutions and then the next generation coming up has absolutely no respect for those institutions because all they've known is foolishness. and why not you got retards like Al Franken in so why not Colbert... he's not serious though he wouldn't take the cut in pay.
the point is people that watch his show I think that being a senator's being able to make jokes and snort cocaine.
and that's how we get to a situation where we have more takers than makers. and voters who think socialism and communism is not so bad it's just did those other countries haven't done it right... no our American version of communism will be much better

[DARSB]

Let's take a moment to recollect that the Stephen Colbert on Comedy Central is a fictitious character. Strikingly funny, but still just a made up guy.

[Stratton]

He's hoping if he tars and feathers Republicans enough that the Green Fairy, Al Gore, will make him a Real Boy.

[Romney2012]

Stick to what you're "good at" Colbert.

[Romney_Rube]

Gov Haley is likely trying to figure out a way to appoint herself. More hilarious is that previous Gov Sanford's ex-wife could be appointed. And why not Governor Sanford's Argentinian mistress? What might be more representative of this dysfunctional state is former South Caroline senate candidate Alvin Greene who lost in 2010 and, at one point, faced felony charges. It's time to put South Carolina on a fun-packed entertainment map.

[NormalFlora]

Colbert is not the best choice, but he's at least a factor of ten better than any other candidate.

[Grubby]

Maybe in Minnesota, not in South Carolina. If he wanted to run in Minnesota, he could join Stuart Smiley and both of their Senators would be a joke. Actually, I think Minnesota is going to tap Ozzie Osborne as their next Democratic Senate Candidate. He fits well with the electorate of that state.

[Politicskid]

He'd be a great example of the many democrats who win because of the stupid person's vote.