On October 16, TV comedian Stephen Colbert said on his show that he will run in both the Republican and Democratic presidential primaries in South Carolina. The filing deadline for those primaries in November 1. He must pay $35,000 to run in the Republican primary, and $2,500 to run in the Democratic primary. However, Joe Werner, Executive Director of the South Carolina Democratic Party, said that if Colbert runs in the Republican primary, Democratic Party rules will bar him from the Democratic primary.

The Republican Party filing fee was $25,000 for presidential candidates who paid by May 1, 2007, and $35,000 for those who paid after that date.

Louisiana will be holding closed or semi-closed primaries for Congress starting in 2008. Louisiana has 5 qualified parties. Each party that desires to keep independents out of its congressional primaries must tell the Secretary of State by January 1, 2008. If a party doesn’t express itself, the Secretary of State will assume that the party wants independents to vote in its Congressional primaries.

The Republican Party has already told the Secretary of State that it doesn’t want independents voting in its Congressional primaries. The Democratic Party has already told the press that it does want independents to vote in its Congressional primaries. The Green Party had a state convention on September 8 and decided to let independents vote in its Congressional primaries. Libertarians will decide this question at a state convention on December 1. It is believed the Reform Party will let independents vote in its Congressional primaries.

On October 16, the Iowa Republican State Central Committee voted to set the Republican presidential caucus on the evening of January 3, 2008. Iowa Democrats don’t necessarily need to choose the same date, and have not yet decided when the Democratic caucus will be. Thanks to Tony Roza for this news.