Stephen Colbert — who announced plans to run for the presidency, though only in South Carolina, on his Comedy Central show Tuesday night — is serious enough about the stunt that his staff reached out to the state’s Democratic and Republican committees in advance of his declaration.

Joe Werner, executive director of the South Carolina Democratic Party, said that a representative for Mr. Colbert, who was raised in Charleston, called three weeks ago asking about filing dates and other requirements. Mr. Werner added, “From what I understand, he does have credible people down here, working to have him placed on the ballot.”

Katon Dawson, the chairman of the state Republican Party, said his office had also received a call from Mr. Colbert’s staff — on Tuesday. The call came just hours before Mr. Colbert taped his own show (in which he said he hoped to run as both a Democrat and a Republican) as well as a teaser to his announcement that appeared on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” which leads into “The Colbert Report.”

Mr. Dawson, though, was far more dismissive of Mr. Colbert’s apparent intentions than his Democratic counterparts. “My advice,” he said in an interview, “is that he could probably have more fun buying a sports car and getting a girlfriend.”