![On last night's "The Colbert Report," Stephen Colbert promoted the congressional campaign of sister Elizabeth Colbert-Busch.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/5c/ad/5cad5922828724612aa02704ea8ac1c3.JPG?itok=jd6FSqpy "On last night's "The Colbert Report," Stephen Colbert promoted the congressional campaign of sister Elizabeth Colbert-Busch.")
Association with a well-known name can be a plus to any political candidate, especially when that name covers politics on national television.
Last night’s “The Colbert Report” made that clear, albeit sarcastically, when Charleston-native Stephen Colbert promoted the campaign of his sister. (See video in lower-left column.)
Elizabeth Colbert-Busch is a Democratic candidate in the upcoming special election for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.
On his political-humor series, Colbert farcically assumes the role of a hard-core, right-wing Republican, pointing out self-defeating idiosyncrasies of today’s GOP.
Remaining in character, he swore Colbert-Busch “no free air time!” – but in a four-minute segment of the February 6 episode, in which he also attacked many Republican candidates for the office.
“As a broadcast journalist, I am obligated to maintain pure objectivity. It doesn’t matter that my sister is intelligent, hardworking, compassionate and dedicated to the people of South Carolina.
“I will not be mentioning any of that on my show,” he smirked.
Colbert went on to sarcastic endorsement of Mark Sanford, explaining “I’m a family-values conservative” as his basis of support of the former governor, who in 2009 was caught in a now-infamous extramarital affair.
Sanford currently appears in the lead of the GOP’s 16-candidate pool for the office.
Last December after Jim DeMint announced he was stepping down, political activists created a “Draft Stephen Colbert for Congress” website sarcastically calling for the comedian to take the Senate seat. The comedian had a plurality lead in a survey conducted that month by Public Policy Polling.
In December 2011, Colbert attempted to have his name included in South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary. Unsuccessful in getting on the ballots, his PAC distributed humorous advertisements poking fun at the other candidates, and Colbert suggested voters select Herman Cain, who’d already withdrawn from the race.
Elizabeth Colbert-Busch announced her candidacy for the special election on Jan. 18.
During last night's broadcast, Colbert-Busch and primary opponent Martin Skelly both spoke at the Charleston Labor Council's monthly meeting.
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