As the 2024 showdown between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump approaches, the country’s top political anchors are preparing for one of their longest and most intense work weeks of the year.
For these news personalities, election night means hours of live reporting, complex data analysis and connecting with millions of viewers – all while balancing the pressure of delivering accurate, real-time updates.
To meet the demands, each anchor has traditionally followed a unique set of rituals, from high-caffeine days and fitness regimens to conscious practices and rigorous research. Here you can see how they prepare physically and mentally for the exciting rollercoaster of election day.
Caffeine: the fuel par excellence
Caffeine is a staple for election night anchors like CNN’s John King, who admitted he “probably drank too much coffee” during election week. As he told USA Today, “I start early in the morning and I just keep going.”
Meanwhile, MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki made the switch from Diet Coke to Dunkin’ coffee, describing it to USA Today as “very smooth and very drinkable,” adding, “I don’t even know why, but I started a few years ago to drink coffee, and that’s the most important thing now.”
CNN’s Dana Bash has her own caffeine routine, although she prefers a cup of English breakfast tea. As she recently told Katie Couric, “I used to be a coffee person, but the smell of coffee made me very nauseous when I was pregnant fourteen years ago, and I never went back.”
Fox News host Bill Hemmer approaches caffeine with more caution, telling USA Today that otherwise it will “burn” through his stomach.
To keep his energy up, Hemmer said he might have a whole milk latte with two shots of espresso in the late afternoon to help him get through the night — and the occasional Red Bull in the late evening.
Mindful snacking
In a 2020 interview with GQKornacki revealed, “I haven’t had breakfast in 28 or 29 years,” and that he generally doesn’t eat anything on election night because he thinks a big meal would slow him down.
That preference remains unchanged. “I want to have so much energy just because of the interest in it [the election results],” he recently told Today, adding, “I don’t want to take that away [by eating].”
Still, a little snack here and there seems welcome, as evidenced by the basket of Nutter Butters and Diet Coke that his Today co-anchors, Craig Melvin, Dylan Dreyer and Sheinelle Jones, surprised him with.
“This is dangerous,” Kornacki joked as he received the treats, adding, “This is going to come in handy, I can tell you.”
Meanwhile, Bash opts for a small morning snack and tells Couric that she usually eats two pieces of nutritious Ezekiel toast with almond butter before starting her day.
Hemmer also sticks to a routine, but knows when to change it. A self-described “creature of habit,” he told USA Today. He tries to maintain a healthy eating schedule wherever he is – except for the occasional indulgence.
“There’s nothing wrong with a slice of good, hot pepperoni pizza at one in the morning,” he admitted. “Sometimes that gives you energy that you don’t expect.”
Pre-election rituals for mental clarity
Physical fitness is essential to maintaining the mental stamina required for marathon election coverage, especially for those who are on their feet for hours.
King, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2008 and “can’t feel anything anymore [his] thighs down,” told USA Today that he is incorporating squats, treadmill sessions and light to moderate weights into his pre-election routine to prepare for the physical toll.
“The things that sometimes trigger my MS the most [are] random, but the normal triggers are heat, stress and intense physical strain,” King explains. “They all come together [on] election week.”
Hemmer, whose mental and physical preparation begins days before Election Day, told USA Today, “It’s really important to come into the day as fresh as possible, which means being disciplined on Friday, Saturday and most of the day.” Sunday. On Monday you get into it a bit, and on Tuesday it starts.
Kornacki, who recalled “barely sleeping” during the 2020 presidential election, has a strategy this year to find “little pockets that can be emptied.” [his] head” by taking walks in New York City between coverage segments.
“That’s helpful because you’re just trying to take in all this information, these spreadsheets, maps, blah, blah and to take my mind off of that and [get in] some fresh air,” he told USA Today. “It’s easy to get lost in preparing for these kinds of things, and sometimes I just have to take a step back and figure out what’s really important and be willing to communicate.”
Election preparation
As Election Day approaches, King emphasized that every day of preparation counts, telling USA Today that he will “study, prepare [and] be physically ready,” recognizing that election week is a lengthy process, not just one night.
Hemmer, who has covered every election cycle for Fox News since 2005, spends hours every day sifting through the data he’s collected, often changing his scenery to keep things fresh.
As he described it to USA Today, Hemmer spends time at his favorite study spots in New York City, including a historic library in downtown Manhattan with “beautiful wooden tables and windows.”
Kornacki takes a similarly intensive approach, telling Today that his research involves “a lot of spreadsheets, a lot of numbers, a lot of trying to remember things.”
He added: “99% of what I prepare for I will never put on the air, but you don’t know what that 1% is.”
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