Stephen Colbert Ends Presidential Bid

Authored by Scott Goldberg on November 5, 2007 - 11:12am.

Stephen Colbert's Presidential Run is as Serious as his Eyebrows

Perhaps it was the prospect of hosting a show with no writers, or more accurately, the long arm of the South Carolina Democratic Executive Council got in the way: Stephen Colbert’s presidential bid has ended as quickly as it began. The host of The Colbert Report was shot down in his attempt to land on the state’s Democratic ballot by a 13-3 vote. Colbert is a native of South Carolina, and released a statement today.

"Although I lost by the slimmest margin in presidential election history—only 10 votes—I have chosen not to put the country through another agonizing Supreme Court battle. It is time for this nation to heal."

Colbert had filed his entrance papers with the Executive Council at the last minute, which came with a fee of $2,500. He had said he planned to land on the GOP ballot in South Carolina as well, but pulled the quest when faced with the much high filing fee of $35,000.

"I want to say to my supporters, this is not over," he said in the statement. "While I may accept the decision of the Council, the fight goes on! The dream endures! ... And I am going off the air until I can talk about this without weeping."

And good to his word, Colbert’s show is indeed temporarily off the air. No way that could’ve been the fault of the Writers’ Guild strike.