Which TV News Anchors Made the Biggest Impact on Election Night?

As a seasoned political observer who has witnessed numerous election cycles, I must say that this year’s Election Night was one for the books. The unexpected turn of events, with former President Donald Trump quickly claiming victory, was certainly a twist nobody saw coming.

many prominent television news hosts found their Election Night strategies shifting dramatically once the initial voting results started rolling in.

Initial plans for election coverage anticipated countless hours of scrutinizing a closely contested race. However, surprisingly, former President Donald Trump swiftly rose to become President-elect Donald Trump, while Vice President Kamala Harris’ supposed strongholds in traditional Democrat states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania weakened significantly throughout the night.

Based on preliminary Nielsen ratings that could shift as the day progresses, Fox News Channel attracted the largest viewership, with ABC News coming in second, and MSNBC following closely behind. As the afternoon wore on into the early hours of the night, anchors had to maintain their composure and await the final numbers before they could present the complete picture.

Even though there was a developing storyline, it became evident due to the examination of historical voter tallies, county by county throughout the United States, that Harris’ victories were falling short of the levels President Joe Biden achieved in 2020. It was up to the anchors and reporters below, along with many others in their team, to weigh this evolving narrative against the raw, unyielding data.

Bret Baier, Martha MacCallum and Sean Hannity

Baier and MacCallum have extensive experience with Election Night, frequently leading in state calls due to Fox News Channel’s advanced voter data system. When they declared Pennsylvania for Trump at approximately 1:20 a.m. ET, they also informed viewers that Vice President Harris’ chances of reaching the Oval Office had essentially disappeared. Moreover, opinion host Sean Hannity raised some eyebrows earlier in the evening by telling his audience that Trump would win Georgia and North Carolina before Fox News’ official decision desk. It seems he was right on the money with those predictions.

Chris Christie

As a former governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie offers distinctive expertise in his analyst position at ABC News, outperforming all other broadcast networks on Election Night with regards to viewership. Having served as a state executive and a Republican presidential primary candidate has granted him valuable insights that allowed him to predict what the public might anticipate during a Trump administration. At one point during ABC’s coverage, Christie speculated that Trump would likely have less than two years to implement his new policies due to potential candidates gearing up for the 2028 election campaign.

NewsNation

On Election Night, the relatively new cable news channel Nexstar drew attention by using data from Decision Desk HQ and being the first major TV news outlet to declare Trump as the winner. The announcement was made by Chris Cuomo, who has rapidly emerged as one of the network’s most recognized figures.

Steve Kornacki and Joy Reid

On MSNBC, Kornacki worked tirelessly throughout their election coverage, consistently breaking down events and providing context to viewers, even though they might have preferred different news. Additionally, he was given the spotlight with his own show, a “Kornacki-cam,” which became available on Peacock streaming service and MSNBC’s YouTube channel. Later in the process, Reid shared her analysis on why Harris didn’t win: “Black voters supported Kamala Harris. However, white women did not.

Lester Holt

After spending almost a quarter-century with NBCUniversal, Holt has built enough authority in his role that he occasionally offers commentary during some of his last segments on “NBC Nightly News”. On Election Night, he advised some of his colleagues against declaring the election for Trump before all votes were counted. Around 11 p.m., Holt warned others on set not to discuss the event as if it had already been decided, stating that their comments were starting to sound like an after-event analysis. “This is starting to feel like a post-mortem,” he cautioned.

Jake Tapper, John King and Abby Phillip

For several hours, spanning from Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET until early Wednesday morning, this team of three CNN anchors – Tapper, King, and Phillip – delivered resilient broadcasts. Tapper initiated CNN’s coverage and continued until the wee hours, while King, a long-time user of CNN’s signature Magic Wall, skillfully controlled the screen with either hand and is renowned for swiftly providing data to help viewers comprehend the actual standings of the candidates. Meanwhile, Phillip, stationed at Harris’ headquarters at Howard University, kept audiences updated as Harris’ prospects grew increasingly slim.

Norah O’Donnell

On CBS News, O’Donnell provided hard-hitting and serious coverage of the election, overseeing a team that consisted of Gayle King, Ed O’Keefe, Major Garrett, and Anthony Salvanto. While she is set to step down from her position on “CBS Evening News,” it’s likely that viewers will see her again during crucial national events like elections.

Brian Williams

For the first time since departing from his MSNBC show at the end of 2021, the longtime NBC News host resumed his hosting responsibilities, appearing on Amazon’s Prime Video alongside a number of familiar faces such as Abby Huntsman, Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow, Candy Crowley, and others. The program focused more on conversations rather than graphics and race updates, indicating that the streaming service might be aiming for greater involvement in live events.

2024-11-06 22:48