Stephen Colbert's "Bump" -- Dems' Popularity Ratings Spike After Appearances

Posted by Matt Ortega, Matt Ortega.com at 2:00 PM on April 7, 2008.

Here's some data to support the theory.

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Stephen Colbert, the satirist and host of The Colbert Report on Comedy Central, claims that candidates receive a "bump" from appearing on the show. It turns out that "The Colbert Bump" actually exists for Democratic candidates.

Henry Farrell sums up the phenomena:

Democratic candidates who appear on the Report receive a statistically significant "Colbert bump" in campaign donations, raising 44% more money in a 30-day period after appearing on the show. However, there is no evidence of a similar boost for Republicans. These results constitute the first scientific evidence of Stephen Colbert's influence on political campaigns.

(Hat tip: Kevin Drum, Political Animal)

Tagged as: colbert, election08