CNN
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“Saturday Night Live” kicked off this week’s episode with Heidi Gardner hosting a PBS NewsHour focused on three notable Republicans ahead of the midterm elections in less than two weeks.
The first was Herschel Walker, played by Kenan Thompson.
“My name is Herschel Walker Texas Ranger,” said Thompson, as Walker, kicking off the NBC variety show’s cold open. “And I’m running for president of United Airlines.”
Next: Dr. Mehmet Oz, played by Mikey Day.
“My Pennsylvania Phillies are in the World Series and I just had a delicious Philly cheese and steak. Yum!” Day’s Oz declared.
Finally: Kari Lake, played by Cecily Strong.
“It’s great to be with you,” he said. “In your sweet show full of lies.”
Gardner, as a PBS NewsHour anchor, noted that all three have been doing well in the polls lately despite having no political experience.
“And that’s where I don’t know,” Walker said of Thompson when asked why his support was growing. “The whole world is a mystery, isn’t it? For example, a thermos keeps hot things hot, but also cold things. My question is…how does one decide?”
Afterward, he wondered why so many Georgians, the state where Walker is running for Senate, still support him despite his many controversies.
“Gas,” he said.
The next question was for Dr. Oz de Day, who the PBS NewsHour host said has caught up with his opponent in the Pennsylvania Senate race, John Fetterman.
“I was very distant,” Dr. Oz said of Day. “But I told myself, you can win this election if you’re honest, you’re fair, and if your opponent has a debilitating medical emergency.”
Fetterman had a stroke earlier this year.
Strong’s Lake responded to her rise in the polls by saying she was a “fighter” and had shipped “over two thousand salads” in her lifetime.
“And I’m not afraid to do the same with democracy,” he said.
Walker then asked to ask the next question and started talking about Pokémon.
Gardner’s PBS host mentioned that Lake has proposed major changes to voting laws in Arizona.
“If the people of Arizona elect me, I will make sure they never have to vote again,” Strong’s Lake said.
The segment then ended with Thompson’s Walker saying “Yippee ki-yay and go Halloween” before the show’s signature catchphrase, “Live… from New York! It’s Saturday night!”
