Stephen Colbert: I'm In!

Stephen Colbert is pressing the joke: He announced tonight that he's exploring a presidential run in South Carolina, reports Politico. He even turned over control of his beloved super PAC to, yes, Jon Stewart to make it legal. “I am proud to announce that I am forming an exploratory committee to lay the groundwork for my possible candidacy for president of the United States of America of South Carolina,” Colbert said. (The show airs later tonight.)

Colbert had floated the possibility on last night's show, after noting that he's polling above Jon Huntsman in the state. If he goes through with it, he'd have to be a write-in candidate because he missed the filing deadline, notes the New York Times. "The stunt was part of Colbert’s continuing effort to expose what he considers absurdities in US election law," writes Politico's Mike Allen, who was a guest on the show. (More Stephen Colbert stories.)