Jeb Bush campaign raffling off ticket to Stephen Colbert's 'Late Show' debut
Republican presidential candidate, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, speaks during a town hall-style campaign stop in Englewood, Colo., Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015. Credit: AP / Brennan Linsley
CBS Entertainment says "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" is not involved with a Jeb Bush fundraising effort, in which a ticket to the talk show's Sept. 8 premiere is being raffled.
"All guests on the show are provided audience tickets for their own use," spokesman Chris Ender told The Associated Press. "However, this promotion is not a coordinated tie-in between the show and the political campaign."
On Monday, Republican presidential contender Bush, 62 -- whom Colbert earlier this month announced as one of the premiere's guests -- tweeted, "On Sept 8th I'll sit down w/Stephen Colbert for his first taping of the Late Show. Enter to win a VIP ticket to join [the audience]," linking it to a sweepstakes page on his campaign website.
A fundraising email went out to potential supporters as well, promising "a VIP ticket to the very first taping of the 'Late Show' with a new host, that's something you'll still be talking about 20 years from now," reported the Washington, D.C., political newspaper The Hill.
Representatives for Colbert and for the Bush campaign did not respond to Newsday requests for comment. Colbert on his Twitter page has not mentioned the raffle.
Void in Bush's home state of Florida, the raffle offers a round-trip coach plane ticket to and from New York, a one-night hotel stay, ground transportation, a ticket to attend the series premiere and dinner with the Bush campaign's national finance co-chair, Woody Johnson.
While no purchase is necessary to enter, the campaign asks a minimum of $3 from those who choose to donate.
Bush previously has held raffles, The Hill said, including for tickets to attend the campaign's viewing party for the first Republican debate, held in Cleveland Aug. 6.
CBS earlier this week announced that actor George Clooney would also be a guest on the Colbert "Late Show" premiere, with actress Scarlett Johansson, comedian Amy Schumer, SpaceX and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, and author Stephen King among those scheduled for the first week's shows.
