Even with a strong force behind him, Stephen Colbert has decided to drop his bid for the presidency.
The decision came after South Carolina Democratic Party’s executive council voted 13-3 against allowing him on the state’s ballot.
"Although I lost by the slimmest margin in presidential election history – only 10 votes – I have chosen not to put the country through another agonizing Supreme Court battle," Colbert said Monday on his show The Colbert Report. "It is time for this nation to heal."
A Facebook group titled "1,000,000 Strong for Stephen T Colbert" was the most popular political group on the social networking site, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. As of Nov. 4, 1.4 million members had joined the group supporting his run for president. The site also sparked 5,711 message board discussions
In a non-scientific poll conducted by The Daily Cougar in October, eight of 1,000 students polled, or 0.8 percent, wanted Colbert to be president. Two students, or 0.2 percent, thought he would be the Republican nominee, and two thought he would be the Democratic nominee.
"I want to say to my supporters, this is not over. While I may accept the decision of the council, the fight goes on," Colbert said. "The dream endures!"