By james art 
By Nandita Bose and James Oliphant
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris appeared on the television comedy show “Saturday Night Live” on Saturday, adding a surprise boost to the U.S. presidential election just three days before she faces Republican Donald Trump.
Harris pictured herself appearing in the mirror opposite the actor who plays her on the show, Maya Rudolph, nervously preparing for a campaign speech. Dressed alike in a black suit and pearls, the two exchanged variations on Harris’ first name, saying Americans wanted to “end the drama-la” in politics “with a cool new stepmother-ala.”
“Keep calm-ala and carry on-ala,” they said in unison.
“I’m not really laughing like that, am I?” Harris asked after Rudolph mimicked her signature giggle.
“A little,” replied Rudolph.
Harris made his first appearance on the show, which has featured other presidential candidates over its decades.
“It was fun,” she told reporters at the track before flying to Detroit, Michigan, on the battlefield.
Trump appeared on SNL during his first run for president in 2015, where he poked fun at his tendency to exaggerate and avoid political specifics. He also appeared in 2004. A Trump aide said Saturday he did not know if he had been invited to appear this year.
Earlier Saturday, Harris and Trump’s planes shared the tarmac in Charlotte, North Carolina, as the two candidates held dueling events in the southern state, one of the few that will determine the outcome of Tuesday’s election. It was the fourth day in a row that candidates campaigned in the same state.
Only seven states are considered truly competitive, but a poll released Saturday showed Harris has a surprising lead in Iowa, a state Trump has won easily in the last two elections.
“BEAUTIFUL WHITE SKIN”
Trump and Harris stuck to familiar themes in their speeches.
Trump said he would deport millions of immigrants if elected and warned that if Harris won, “every city in America will be turned into a miserable, dangerous refugee camp.”
During his campaign in Atlanta, Harris said Trump would abuse his power if he returned to the White House.
“This is someone who is becoming increasingly unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance, and the person is looking for unchecked power,” she said.
More than 75 million Americans have already voted, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab, in a sign of voter enthusiasm.
In North Carolina, western counties that were devastated by Hurricane Helena appear to be voting at about the same rate as the rest of the state, according to Catawba College political science professor Michael Bitzer.
At a rally in Salem, Virginia, Trump said he ran for office to save the economy from “wiping out,” even though it would be easier to relax at one of his oceanfront resorts.
“I didn’t need to be here today,” he said. “I could be standing on that beach, my beautiful white skin getting nice and getting hit, hit in the face by a wave loaded with salt water.”
Trump was joined on stage by women from a local college swim team who objected to competing against transgender athletes. Some of Trump’s TV ads have sought to capitalize on the transgender controversy.
(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan and Ismail Shakil; Writing by Andy Sullivan and Costas Pitas; Editing by Heather Timmons, Daniel Wallis, Cynthia Osterman, Leslie Adler and William Mallard)