Hillary Clinton to Appear on The Colbert Report

In another unexpected twist of political events, Hillary Clinton will appear on “The Colbert Report” Thursday night.

MSNBC’s “Hardball” host Chris Matthews leaked the news during his interview with Stephen Colbert last Monday. Embarrassed, Colbert responded, “There’s a possibility of that…We like to surprise people with certain guests.”

Colbert jokes about how candidates will experience a jump in popularity, dubbed the “The Colbert Bump.” Mike Huckabee did it himself in 2007, which set the stage for a fierce, brief competition for the Republican nomination.

Nonetheless, Clinton is likely to encounter a much harsher interviewer than she did with John Stewart last month. Colbert routinely interrupts his interviewees. When she appeared on “The Daily Show,” Clinton was allowed to speak mostly unimpeded. The day after the Jon Stewart interview, Clinton won the Texas and Ohio primaries.

Obviously, the Clinton campaign is reaching out to Comedy Central viewers. Days before the Pennsylvania primary, she is trying to woo the youth vote. So far, Obama has garnered the majority of voters between the ages of 18 and 24 in competitive states, according to exit polls.

Can “The Colbert Bump” give Clinton more voter support? Or has Obama already won Pennsylvania, regardless of Clinton’s last-minute appearance?