And the next Republican challenger to Mitt Romney is… Stephen Colbert?
Polls show that if the satirist had been allowed to run in the South Carolina Republican primary, he may have beaten John Huntsman and given Rick Perry a run for his money.
As the GOP prepares to pick the candidate who will lead the party against Barack Obama in the next presidential election, Colbert attempted to enter the fray in his native South Carolina, which is the next primary after Tuesday's New Hampshire vote.
Party officials shut out the comedian, but new poll numbers suggest he could have fared decently.
In fact, Public Policy Polling found that Colbert, who mocks right-wing pundits and politicians of all stripes, would have commanded 5 per cent of the vote if he'd been allowed to run. He would even beat some other serious candidates gunning for the party's top job.
Here's how the numbers would have broken down, in terms of popular support:
- Mitt Romney – 27 per cent
- Newt Gingrich – 23 per cent
- Rick Santorum – 18 per cent
- Ron Paul – 8 per cent
- Rick Perry – 7 per cent
- Stephen Colbert – 5 per cent
- Adding to the hilarity, Colbert polled above at least two candidates:
- Jon Huntsman – 4 per cent
- Buddy Roemer – 1 per cent
"Colbert's key, had he been allowed on the ballot, would have been to draw out Democratic voters in the state's open primary," said PPP's Tom Jensen.
Moreover, Colbert wanted to push a referendum onto the ballot asking if corporations are people, or if only people should be considered people -- mocking a remark that Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney made last August.
"While Colbert's prospects for actually winning in South Carolina may have been limited, he would have found support on his proposed referendum," Jensen added.
The publicity stunt is simply the latest in a string of similar plans from Colbert, who hosts the popular show The Colbert Report.
In 2007, Colbert announced on his show he would run for president in 2008 but later abandoned the plan because of a fee to register.
He has also testified before Congress while in character over employment.
