NEW YORK (AP) — Kamala Harris made a surprise appearance on “Saturday Night Live” in the final days before the presidential election, playing herself as a mirror double to Maya Rudolph’s version of her during the election. cold open of the show.

The first lines spoken by the contestant as she sat across from Rudolph, their outfits identical, were drowned out by cheers from the audience.

“It’s good to see you Kamala,” Harris told Rudolph with a wide smile that she kept throughout the sketch. “And I’m just here to remind you that you have this.”

In sync, the two supporters said they must “keep Kamala and carry on-ala,” said they shared “each other’s belief in the promise of America” ​​and signed “Live from New York, it’s Saturday evening!

Harris made the surprise trip to New York ahead of Tuesday’s election, taking a brief break from the battleground states where she campaigned. With his appearance on the NBC sketch comedy show, the Democratic candidate hoped to generate buzz and attract a national audience.

Harris had left Charlotte, North Carolina, and was scheduled to fly to Detroit, but once in the air, aides said she would land elsewhere. The appearance was only confirmed by Harris’ team moments before the live broadcast began.

The vice president arrived at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan, where “SNL” was taping, shortly after 8 p.m., with enough time for a quick rehearsal before the live broadcast at 11:30 p.m. It was the last episode of “SNL” before Election Day.

She left immediately after the opening segment and told reporters, “That was fun!” as she boarded her plane for Michigan.

Host John Mulaney and musical guest Chappell Roan distanced the spectacle from politics. Neither addressed the election.

Some expected Roan, the 26-year-old singer who has become a major star in recent months, to make a political statement during her first appearance on the show. She has previously harshly criticized the Democratic Party and refused to support Harris in her campaign against Republican Donald Trump, although Roan has repeatedly said she plans to vote for her.

Roan sang his hit “Pink Pony Club” on an all-pink set bathed in pink lighting and made no remarks.

Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, also made a surprise appearance in a game show sketch where the gag was that no one remembered him when he was Hillary Clinton’s vice presidential nominee in 2016 .

“It’s been less than eight years. What is my name? he asked, as the contestants remained silent and baffled.

Rudolph first played Harris on the series in 2019 and resumed his role this season, doing a pitch-perfect impression of the vice president, including calling herself “Momala” — a reference to the affectionate nickname Harris’ stepchildren gave her.

Former cast member Andy Samberg appeared again as Harris’ husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. Stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan played Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Dana Carvey, best known on the show for playing President George HW Bush in the late 1980s, replaced President Joe Biden.

Rudolph’s performance received critical and comedy acclaim, including by Harris herself.

“Maya Rudolph — I mean, she’s so good,” Harris said last month on ABC’s “The View.” “She had everything, the costume, the jewelry, everything! »

Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, said he was surprised that Harris would appear on “SNL” given what Miller called unflattering performances on the show. Asked if Trump had been invited to appear, Miller said, “I don’t know. Probably not.

Politicians nonetheless have a long history on “SNL,” including Trump, who hosted the show in 2015. But appearing so close to Election Day is unusual.

Clinton was a candidate in the 2008 Democratic presidential primary when she appeared alongside Amy Poehler, who played her on the show and was known for breaking into a signature exaggerated laugh. The real Clinton asked herself during her appearance: “Am I really laughing like that?”

Harris repeated this phrase in response to Rudolph’s depiction of his laughter in Saturday’s episode.

Clinton returned in 2016, when she was running against Trump, who won that election.

The first sitting president to appear on “SNL” was Republican Gerald Ford, who did so less than a year after the show’s debut. Ford appeared in an April 1976 episode hosted by his publicist, Ron Nessen, and said, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night.”

Barack Obama, then an Illinois senator, appeared alongside Poehler impersonating Clinton in 2007. Republican Bob Dole was on the show in November 1996, just 11 days after losing that year’s election -there facing Bill Clinton. Dole consoled Norm Macdonald, who played the Kansas senator.

Then there was the impression Tina Fey gave in 2008 about vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin — and particularly her joke that “I can see Russia from my house.” It was so good that Fey won an Emmy, and Palin herself appeared on the show in October, in the weeks leading up to the election.