Tina Fey blamed for Republican woes

Tina Fey has been blamed for the Republican party's downturn in fortunes in the race for the White House.

30 Rock star Fey has twice impersonated John McCain's running mate, Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, on US sketch show Saturday Night Live, with a third appearance rumoured for tonight.

A recent poll by the Washington Times suggested that the turns have put voters off voting Republican in November's elections.

"Presidential impersonators do influence elections, and in this one, Tina Fey is well on her way to ruining Sarah Palin's political career," political scientist Jerald Podair told the New York Post.

"In a political culture that takes its cues from popular culture, a good impersonator may be worth a million votes."