n.
A surge in the polls or in fundraising experienced by a politician after appearing on the TV show The Colbert Report.
Example Citations:
Well, in all truth (or truthiness, for that matter), it appears there actually might be something to the so-called Colbert bump, the phenomenon ascribed to faux right-wing talk show host Stephen Colbert.
A new study in a journal of the American Political Science Association concludes that there's a financial benefit for Democratic House members and candidates in submitting to "The Colbert Report" on Comedy Central.
"Candidates who went on the show raised about 44 percent more money than like candidates who didn't in the 30 days after the show," explained the study's author, University of California at San Diego political scientist James Fowler.
—Katie Fretland and Bob Secter, " Truth is, the bump's for real: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-colbert-bumpaug15,0,163664.story," Chicago Tribune, August 15, 2008
Hillary Clinton is hoping the "Colbert bump" will help propel her to victory in Pennsylvania.
The Democratic presidential candidate will make her first appearance on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" on Thursday.
...
Comedy shows have played a role in the presidential campaign, and good things have happened to guests on "Colbert." Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was a regular on the show before his unexpected but short-lived success in pursuing the Republican nomination.
—Jake Coyle, " Hillary Clinton to appear on 'The Colbert Report' Thursday: http://m.timesrecordnews.com/news/2008/Apr/15/hillary-clinton-appear-colbert-report-thursday-bar/," Associated Press, April 15, 2008
Earliest Citation:
Colbert reported on his Nov. 8 show that every representative or challenger who has appeared on his show has won a seat in Congress. "The Colbert bump," as it has been cleverly coined by the host, has actually proven true in the polls.
Even aging rockstar John Hall from the group Orleans beat Republican incumbent Sue Kelly for a seat in New York's 19th District. Though some people might see it as a coincidence that Colbert has interviewed more than 20 individuals and they have all won their 2006 midterm election bids, I do not.
—Christian Alexandersen, "Political interviewees get boost from Colbert," The Daily Athenaeum, November 10, 2006
First Use:
Now I've invited Sen. Lieberman on my show several times. So far, he's refused ... but surely now that Mr. Lamont is enjoying his 'Post Colbert bump' in the polls or 'PCB' as the kids call it, he's having second thoughts.
—Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report, August 4, 2006
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New words. 2013.