By Allison Lyon, Contributing Writer
Presidential election season is right around the corner, but more important than ranking the actual candidates is ranking the Saturday Night Live portrayals of those candidates.
1). Donald Trump – Darrell Hammond
Not only is this man at the top of the polls right now, he’s also at the top of my list. The producers nailed his big head and guinea pig hair. A perfect match.
2). Bernie Sanders – Larry David
Larry David comes out of nowhere with this over the top impression of Bernie Sanders. The mannerisms are perfect and the honesty is divine. Throw in some satire of Sanders’ radical extremism, you get one interesting sketch bound to leave a lasting memory.
3). Ben Carson – Jay Pharaoh
Addresses the main issue we’ve all had on minds: is Carson even awake during the debates?
4) Hillary Clinton – Kate McKinnon
Spot on portrayal of Hillary trying to appeal to younger audience’s viewpoint, yet ultimately failing to capture just how eccentric she can be. It’s all good though. They got the essence of her hair right, even though it will never be as majestic as Dr. Gray’s.
5) Rand Paul – Kyle Mooney
If you’re looking for a candidate portrayal based purely on being a doppelgänger this would be it. Throw in a little bit of the awkward behavior of this Kentucky senator, and you have a performance that doesn’t disappoint.
6) Sen. Marco Rubio – Pete Davidson
Okay, I was actually looking forward to this one because of how uncharacteristically semi—attractive this candidate is [Editor’s Note: Gross]. Unfortunately they used this to their advantage and made a joke out of it. Truly a disappointment.
7). Jeb Bush – Beck Bennett
Keeping in mind who Jeb Bush is, this was a fairly accurate illustration. Mostly boring and forgettable in a shuffle of overpowering candidates.
8). Sen. Ted Cruz – Taran Killam
The opposite of the Jeb Bush portrayal. As outgoing and outlandish as Ted Cruz is, SNL made him seem too calm for the debate. Give me the Texan senator that loves guns and ‘Merica.
BONUS: Sarah Palin – Tina Fey
Considering she offered her support to Trump on Jan. 18, she’s relevant enough to be included. Tina Fey is the best of all time in the SNL political portrayals. Number one on the TV and number one in our hearts.