Punchlines: Meet the candidates who may make Stewart stay

He made up his mind. He's leaving. And there's nothing that can make late-night comic Jon Stewart remain on the air beyond Aug. 6, the date he chose as his last before handing "The Daily Show" over to successor Trevor Noah. Except ... maybe a few fringy GOP candidates.

As the right's dance card gets full and even the thought of having all those candidates in one room becomes a fire hazard (a theme that resonated in the most recent title of Stewart's coverage) add former New York governor George Pataki, former senator Rick Santorum and Sen. Lindsey Graham to the list. It's a lineup that Stewart, clearly, will miss.

How did Pataki make his plans known? By tweeting a picture that Stewart said the police wouldn't even use to find a perp unless they were desperate. And of course that Pataki announcement followed many ever-popular pre-announcements to the real announcements, which Seth Meyers says are really announcements in and of themselves. Confused yet?

Take a look at our favorite pot shots that the late-night comics just couldn't help but take about the growing candidate field, on the right and the left, in today's Punchlines. Then, vote for your favorite in the quick poll to the right. Watching from your smartphone or tablet? Then visit opinion.usatoday.com to cast your ballot.

Punchlines audio!

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