Stephen Colbert's sister could stun Republicans and win a House seat

A special election for a once-safe red seat has Republicans fearing the worst

A new poll shows that Elizabaeth Colbert Busch in a virtual tie with her likely Republican opponent.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Bruce Smith)

Stephen Colbert may have opted not to pursue a serious political campaign, but another Colbert, his sister, is embarking on one of her own. And though it's still too soon to predict the final outcome, early signs indicate that she has a surprisingly good chance of pulling off a huge upset and capturing what was once a solidly Republican seat.

On Tuesday, a Public Policy Polling survey showed Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch in a virtual tie with likely challenger Mark Sanford in the special election to fill South Carolina's vacant House seat. Busch led Sanford 47 percent to 45 percent, just within the poll's 2.9 percent margin of error.

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Jon Terbush

Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.