So much for being South Carolina's favorite son: Despite polling ahead of at least three of the candidates who've been stumping hard in South Carolina, Comedy Central faux conservative Stephen Colbert's bid to get on the ballot for the upcoming Democratic primary in his home state was shot down on Thursday (November 1) by the executive committee of the South Carolina Democratic Party. Colbert's bid was voted down 13-3.The Doritos-sponsored campaign, which was announced last month, seemed to be on the road to legitimacy this week when Colbert's campaign paid the $2,500 filing fee necessary to get into the race just before the noon deadline on Thursday, according to The Associated Press.
Less than two hours later, though, the executive committee of the state's party crushed Colbert's bid when it voted not to certify the candidacy, according to Keiana Page, a communications assistant in the state Democratic Committee's office. Using criteria such as whether the candidate was recognized in the national news media as a legitimate candidate and whether they'd actively campaigned in the state, the committee put the kibosh on the Colbert bid.
One of those who voted in favor of certifying Colbert was South Carolina Representative and social-work administrator Gilda Cobb-Hunter, who told MTV News that she thought having Colbert on the ballot would be a good way to bring a national spotlight on issues of concern to her state. "Also, quite frankly, I think we — and I mean elected officials and party officials — take ourselves a bit too seriously and I think an injection of humor would have added to the process," Cobb-Hunter said, adding that she was also impressed with Colbert's donation of his campaign funds to the Donors Choose program, which helps teachers get much-needed resources for their classrooms.
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