Acknowledging that his candidacy might seem like a "mockery," Colbert argued that he would serve up some good, along with laughs -- by urging the many young people who watch his show to register to vote, by promoting his native state and its products, and by directing donations to local charities.
Colbert pledged to keep attention focused on the state, even if Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) renders the primary less significant after "she crushes her rivals in Iowa like stone-ground yellow grits."
But executive council members were apparently more swayed by a letter from Donald L. Fowler. The former state and national party chairman wrote that Colbert had failed to register with the Federal Election Commission, to maintain a campaign staff in South Carolina and to meet other requirements to establish a viable campaign.
"He seeks to make a travesty of our primary," one that could even taint the value of a victory by a mainstream candidate there, Fowler wrote.
Colbert told his audience Wednesday that the Republicans' $35,000 entry fee was too expensive for his campaign -- which was trying to remain under a $5,000 federal limit -- and that he would not file for the GOP primary.
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james.rainey@latimes.com
