Looks like the fun is over – comedian Stephen  Colbert’s quest to be a presidential candidate in the state of South Carolina has failed.

Colbert, host of a popular comedy talk show called the Colbert Report, gained national and international attention in recent weeks when he announced he would run for president … only in South Carolina … as both a Republican and a Democrat. That way, as Colbert said in press interviews, he could lose twice. Colbert also made it clear that even though he was running for president, he did not actually want to be president.

In the United States, there is no national ballot. In primary elections, each state’s political parties set their own rules for determining who can be on the ticket. In South Carolina, there is no law prohibiting a candidate from running in both parties’ primaries.

Ultimately Colbert decided only to run as a Democrat – its $2,500 application fee was considerably less expensive than the Republicans’ $35,000 fee. But the South Carolina Democrats executive council voted 13-3 to reject his bid. They said Colbert was not actively campaigning in the state and was not a nationally viable candidate.

Is that true? Colbert did campaign in the state over the weekend prior to the committee vote. And, although South Carolina Democrats said Colbert is not nationally viable, they were less picky about Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel. Despite polls showing that Colbert could get more votes than either Kucinich or Gravel, the two were approved for the ballot along with the other traditional Democratic presidential candidates.

The South Carolina Democrats will refund Colbert’s $2,500.

Do you think Colbert should have been allowed on the ballot? Send in your comments.