Soon after Republican Senator Jim DeMint announced that he will retire from the Senate to head up the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think-tank, a Stephen Colbert for Senate Twitter account showed up. The account's first tweet: "Reporting for duty, South Carolina!" The twitter page now has nearly 1,500 followers.
DeMint was a member of the House of Representatives for three terms before being elected Senator in 2004; he was re-elected as Senator in 2010.
"I'm leaving the Senate now, but I'm not leaving the fight. I've decided to join The Heritage Foundation at a time when the conservative movement needs strong leadership in the battle of ideas. No organization is better equipped to lead this fight and I believe my experience in public office as well as in the private sector as a business owner will help Heritage become even more effective in the years to come.”
Republican Gov. Nikki Haley will name DeMint's successor, and a special election will be held in 2014. Although Stephen Colbert has not mentioned DeMint's retirement on his own verified account and @ColbertforSC has not been verified yet, the "Colbert for Senate" twitter account has already tweeted Governor Haley several times to name him as Demint's replacement.
Waiting on your call, @nikkihaley. I'd like to get this wrapped up before dinner. Thanks!— Colbert for Senate (@ColbertforSC) December 6, 2012
If you're from South Carolina (or you are @nikkihaley) I want to follow you on the twitter. Who is here is a Palmetto Patriot?— Colbert for Senate (@ColbertforSC) December 6, 2012
Stephen Colbert tweeted from his verified account, asking the nation to convince Governor Haley of his candidacy while creating the hashtag: #SenatorColbert.
Nation! Tell @nikkihaley why I should take over for Jim DeMint! #SenatorColbertCould our Better Tomorrow be... Tomorrow?— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) December 7, 2012
In an email to msnbc's The Last Word,Carrie Byalick, Stephen Colbert's publicist, issued the following comment.
"Stephen is honored by the groundswell of support from the Palmetto State and looks forward to Governor Haley's call."