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Colbert explains bowling alley fundraiser for sister

Posted at 2:17 PM, Feb 22, 2013
and last updated 2013-02-22 14:17:46-05
 By CNN Political Unit

(CNN) — Bowling alleys might not be the most common venues for political fundraisers, but they make perfect sense to Stephen Colbert, who will host an event for his sister at one on Saturday.

“We’re going to raise money in a bowling alley because we’re of the people,” Colbert told fellow television host Jimmy Fallon on Thursday. “You know, you’ve got to go to a bowling alley because that’s where the people are.”

Another benefit? Bowling is “one of the few sports that comes with a bar.”

Colbert’s sister, Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, is making a bid for the Democratic nomination in a special election this spring in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District. If elected, she would fill the seat left vacant by Republican Tim Scott, who was appointed to replace former Sen. Jim DeMint.

That’s also the seat being sought by the state’s former Republican governor and congressman, Mark Sanford, as well as others on both sides of the aisle. An investor named Martin Skelly is also seeking the Democratic nod.

The district leans Republican, but that could work in Colbert-Busch’s favor, as she has voted in at least three Republican primaries, including 2010.

Both Colbert siblings are Charleston natives, and though Stephen Colbert has publicly flirted with bids for the White House and the U.S. Senate, the political satirist and Comedy Central TV show host, said Thursday it is his sister who’s more qualified for the role.

“I don’t actually have anything to offer people in a public office,” he said. “It’s natural for her to run because she has skills and something to offer society. I am professionally ridiculous. So I just hope that what I do for a living doesn’t sully her good character.”