
(CNN) - Faux-news host and comedian Stephen Colbert announced Thursday night he was launching his second run for president in South Carolina.
"I'm proud to announce I plan to form an exploratory committee to lay the groundwork for my candidacy in the United States of South Carolina," Colbert said at a taping of his show Thursday evening.
- Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker
Colbert said voters in South Carolina saw him as an alternative to current GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney.
"Clearly my fellow South Caroliniacs see me as the only Mitternative," Colbert said.
However, according to South Carolina election law, Colbert may not get his way. The state's website said write-in votes are prohibited in political party primaries or for president and vice president.
South Carolina Election Commission spokesman Chris Whitmire told CNN with the Republican presidential primary just nine days away, there "won't even be a way for someone to do that because it's not allowed under the law."
The comedian missed the November 1 filing deadline to get his name on the GOP primary ballot. Whitmire added that, in accordance with the law, there's no write-in space on the electronic and paper primary ballots.
Colbert, who filed to run for the White House as a Democrat in 2007, lost a fight with South Carolina's Democratic Party when it removed him from the state's 2008 primary ballot, a step that ended his presidential bid.
But the comedian has been back in full force this election cycle with his own Super PAC, called "Making a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow."
In October, the Federal Election Commission allowed Colbert to form the group, which can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on a candidate as long as it doesn't coordinate with a candidate's campaign.
In the taping of his show Thursday, Colbert confronted that hurdle, officially signing over the super PAC to fellow Comedy Central host Jon Stewart.
As a satire on super PAC rules, the group created a commercial endorsing "Rick P(a)rry" just days before the Texas governor launched his White House bid this summer.
"So to prove we're truly uncoordinated, we're asking voters to write in Parry with an A – as in America, IowA, or PresidAnt," Colbert said. "You can feel confident he's not asking us to do that."
In the fall, Colbert also made news when he offered $500,000 of super PAC funds to cover the cost of South Carolina's primary on January 21, following a heated battle within the state over who would pay for the contest-the state party or the taxpayers.
In return, Colbert, a South Carolina native, asked for the rights to change the name of the primary to the "The Colbert Super PAC South Carolina Republican Primary."
The state did not take him up on the offer.
– CNN's Shawna Shepherd, Ashley Killough and Julian Cummings contributed to this report.
Also see:
Santorum warns voters of scary rhetoric
Rivals grudgingly defend Romney from Bain criticism


I love that the GOP-hawgs don't get it. Makes it even better! Archer for his VP!
Colbert in a great comedian, but the white house and washington are way to full of them already!
T'sah, I agree with you NO COMMENT.
Obama 2012.
He'd probably be a better president than obama.
CNN seems to dedicate ten times more space to people talking about news (or talking about people who talking about news)" than it dedicates to the actual news those people are talking about. The latest Stephen Colbert bit is not news; it's meta-news. Meanwhile thousands of people probably died or got Dutch Elm disease or lost their electricity or something, and if that's even mentioned it's tucked away somewhere.
There's a place for everything, and everything, including entertainers, ought to stay in their place. Stephen Colbert is really funny and I like him, but that's why I watch his show when it's on. When I'm not watching his show, I'm not really interested in his opinion about anything. It's certainly not fifth on the list of things I want to know when I pull up the CNN website.
I'm just sayin'.
I would prefer Jon for President and Steven for VP.
7 Videos of Stephen Colbert Before the Colbert Report
http://www.relevant-blog.com/2012/01/7-videos-of-stephen-colbert-before.html
@mama4obama, your credibility is already shot, but I'll clue you in, It is true my best friend is a black conservative and he catches he11 because of it. Called all sorts of names by your ilk, from coconut, to oreo. Also, I'm not a "her," and I'm not "little" unless 6'3" is little. You need to stop making assumptions if you ever wish to have any credibility at all.
About 80% of his body weight must be ass!
His super-PAC gambit is satire at its best. Comedians collecting millions in a complete sham perversion of election law reveals what a joke the K-street funded freedom show has become.
And give you free reign to spread your liberal lies and fantasy??? Like I said, liberals just LOVE to shut down the free flow of information and TRUTH. Maybe YOU should take your lies somewhere else???
------------------------
Virtually every one of your posts (with the rare exception) is DEBUNKED on an embarrassingly regular basis with TRUTH and statistics. I would've thought that you would've grown tired of having your but handed to you EVERYDAY but I guess you figure that negative attention is better than NO attention at all.
Whatever gets you through the nite.
Instead of announcing he is running for President of the United States of South Carolina, as it is quoted, he should announce he is running for President of the Confederate State of South Carolina. The Federal government has messed the country up to the point it's time for the South to consider Seceding again.
And mama4obama, before you start on the moniker, I'm a fan of the author LLoyd Alexander and "Gurgi" is a character in his books.
@Gurgi: Got your gender wrong. My bad.
Finally a professional clown climbs into the clown car.
Colbert for president!! We need more truthiness.
"Great Job by Colbert and John Stewart , elections in the U.S are now jokes" –Joke
That's funny... I think U.S. elections have been a joke long before Colbert threw his hat in the ring. Sadly, he's the most serious and decent candidate so far!
you know I used to be a Steven Colbert fan...but this is ridiculous. Just another rich person who makes a mochary of our election process in this country! the only thing this idiot is doing is getting ratings which leads to more $$$ in his pockets...when will you people ever learn that people in this busines profit from YOUR stupidity!
Okay, I'll play with you.
Gurgi I never took notice of your moniker. It is nice that you enjoy reading. But now that you point it out your moniker, unlike Fair is Fair's, and Truth and Nothing but the Truth, suits you.
Gurgi,as in short for regurgitation of Faux lies and spins.
Just kidding.... maybe.
"Like I said, liberals just LOVE to shut down the free flow of information and TRUTH."
And yet you can't provide a real example, can you? Your such a predictable Fakes News-spouting propaganda troll. Go back under your bridge now.
It was funny the first time, now it is just stupid.
WHY NOT?? He is a heck of a lot more intelligent than the 6 dip sticks running now.
what in the heck is wrong with soeaking french. i get kick out of this litist talk. obama is a wanna be elitist. his extremly low (almost clinical) self esteem wont let him.
Gurgi, Mama don't need to read. Its all in her heart. Sometimes its a little dark in there, but usually sincere.
Having we seen this movie before?