Clinton raises laughs with primetime TV skit

In this Sept. 10, 2015, photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Milwaukee. AP FILE PHOTO

NEW YORK, United States—Hillary Clinton attempted to showcase her softer side—and boost her flagging poll ratings—by playing a bartender on primetime US television Saturday in a comedy skit.

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The frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for the 2016 White House race has seen her lead dwindle over a roiling email scandal dating to when she was secretary of state.

But she put that behind her with a lighthearted appearance on “Saturday Night Live” during which she played a sympathetic barkeeper named “Val” opposite Kate McKinnon, famed for her impression of the former first lady.

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Clinton, criticized in some quarters for being too stiff and unable to laugh at herself, also tried an impression of Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination.

The duo ended the skit with a rendition of “Lean on Me.”

Clinton tweeted: “A vote for Hillary is a vote for four more years of Kate McKinnon’s impression.”