

"We love Canada, but we drink Michigan beer," the real Gretchen Whitmer says Sunday. (Photo: Fox 2)

Of course she's a good sport -- any politician would welcome the gift of you-matter credibility that "Saturday Night Live" gave Gretchen Whitmer this weekend.

The morning after a three-minute segment featuring Cecily Strong as Michigan's governor, the real version reacts with a laugh and a just-for-the-record clarification at the end of a live interview by Charlie Langton on Fox 2 News:

"It's kind of funny, but they got the beer wrong. It should have been a Michigan beer, not Labatt. We love Canada, but we drink Michigan beer."

The unopened craft brew she hoists is Two Hearted Ale from Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo.

Also Sunday, the governor's campaign operation grabs the high-profile NBC exposure as an ideal fund-raising hook.

"We can all use a good laugh right now, and Cecily Strong does an impressive Gretchen impression," begins a blast email sent to past Democratic Party donors and others in a database from Whitmer's 2018 campaign. Her term runs through 2022, and she'll almost certainly try for another -- unless she happens to be vice-president, of course.

It's never too soon to prepare for the next election cycle. So "Team Whitmer" seizes this opportune moment by embedding a video of SNL's skit and adding:

"In all seriousness, right now we need strong leadership from governors across the nation to help us through this crisis. And Gretchen has been a leader in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic here in Michigan.

"But that isn’t stopping Republican leaders from attempting to take away Gretchen’s emergency powers and the radical right from fanning the flames of a ridiculous partisan recall effort.

"We all know that now is not the time for partisan political games. We have to work together to keep making progress in Michigan while keeping Michiganders safe."

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Related:

Whitmer Levels Up Her National Profile with 'SNL' Sketch