Madigan's got the humor covered.

• Position: ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

Byline: Richard Duckett

Even for a comedian who doesn't make politics a mainstay, there's something about a presidential election season that is good for a laugh.

"I love it. It's a lot of jokes," said Kathleen Madigan, who comes to Foxwoods Resort Casino for a performance Sept. 14 and will also be at The Palace Theater at the Stamford Center for the Arts in Stamford, Conn., Sept. 15.

When she does tackle politics, Madigan - recently listed by The Detroit Free Press and PopMatters.com as one of the "9 Funniest Women on the Planet" - is known to be reasonably even-handed in dishing things out with what has been described as a "deadpan flair."

There's a reason she's not taking sides. "I think both sides are really ridiculous," Madigan said during a recent telephone interview. "The only person I think who's not bought and paid for is Ron Paul. But he's a little crazy. He's calling for anarchy, and if you're calling for anarchy, you need to weigh more than 135 pounds."

Madigan could have been covering the 2012 election as a reporter if she had followed what seemed to be her original calling. She grew up in a large family (six siblings) in St. Louis and graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville with a degree in journalism. She worked as a freelancer for a magazine and had a full-time job as a reporter for a suburban St. Louis newspaper.

But it wasn't long before she shut down this edition of her life.

"I didn't like it enough for the bad money," she said. One thing she discovered she did enjoy was performing standup at open mics after work in St. Louis.

Madigan headed West.

In season two (2004) of NBC's "Last Comic Standing," Madigan was the first and remains the only comedian in the history of the show to go unchallenged by another contestant. She's been seen on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "The Late Show with David Letterman," and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." She was also a correspondent for "The Dr. Phil Show" and has done commentary on VH1, CNN, E!, CMT and TV Guide's Emmy Red Carpet. Her recent Showtime special was "Gone Madigan."

Madigan's also written for other performers and shows (including for Gary Shandling), but has said, "I write for other people - not many - but a few...