Because the 2024 showdown between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump approaches, the nation’s high political anchors are making ready for one in every of their longest and most intense work weeks of the yr.
For these information personalities, election night time means hours of stay reporting, intricate knowledge evaluation and connecting with thousands and thousands of viewers — all whereas balancing the strain of delivering correct, real-time updates.
To handle the calls for, every anchor has historically adopted a novel set of rituals, from caffeine-fueled days and health regimens to aware practices and rigorous analysis. Right here’s a have a look at how they’re bracing themselves bodily and mentally for the high-stakes roller-coaster of Election Day.
Caffeine: The gasoline of alternative
Caffeine is a go-to staple for election night time anchors like CNN’s John King, who admitted to ingesting “in all probability an excessive amount of espresso throughout election week.” As he instructed USA At present, “I begin early within the morning, and I simply hold going.”
In the meantime, MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki made the swap from Food plan Coke to Dunkin’ espresso, describing it to USA At present as “very easy and really drinkable,” including, “I don’t even know why, however I began ingesting espresso just a few years in the past, and now that’s the primary factor.”
CNN’s Dana Bash has her personal caffeine routine, though she prefers a cup of English breakfast tea. As she just lately instructed Katie Couric, “I was a espresso particular person, however the odor of espresso made me actually nauseous once I was pregnant 14 years in the past, and I simply by no means went again.”
Fox Information anchor Invoice Hemmer approaches caffeine with extra warning, telling USA At present that it’ll in any other case “burn by means of” his abdomen.
To maintain his power up, Hemmer mentioned he would possibly seize a whole-milk latte with two pictures of espresso within the late afternoon to get him by means of the night time — and, every so often, a late-night Pink Bull.
Aware snacking
In a 2020 interview with GQ, Kornacki revealed, “I haven’t had breakfast in 28 or 29 years,” and that he typically doesn’t eat something on election night time as a result of he feels a big meal would gradual him down.
That choice stays unchanged. “I need to have a lot power simply from the curiosity in [the election results],” he just lately instructed At present, including, “I do not need to take that away [by eating].”
Nonetheless, a small snack right here and there appears welcome, as evidenced by the basket of Nutter Butters and Food plan Coke that his At present co-anchors, Craig Melvin, Dylan Dreyer and Sheinelle Jones, shocked him with.
“These are harmful,” Kornacki joked as he accepted the treats, including, “That is going to come in useful, I can inform you.”
In the meantime, Bash opts for a small morning chunk, telling Couric she usually has two items of nutrient-dense Ezekiel toast with almond butter earlier than beginning her day.
Hemmer additionally sticks to a routine, however is aware of when to bend it. A self-described “creature of behavior,” he instructed USA At present he tries to take care of a wholesome consuming schedule wherever he’s — aside from the occasional indulgence.
“There’s nothing flawed with a slice of excellent, sizzling pepperoni pizza at one o’clock within the morning,” he admitted. “Generally that provides you power you do not anticipate.”
Pre-election rituals for psychological readability
Bodily health is crucial for sustaining the psychological stamina wanted for marathon election protection, particularly for many who are on their toes for hours at a time.
King, who was recognized with a number of sclerosis in 2008 and “can’t really feel from [his] thighs down,” instructed USA At present that he incorporates squats, treadmill classes and light-to-medium weights into his pre-election routine to organize for the bodily toll.
“The issues that almost all set off my MS, typically [are] random, however the regular triggers are warmth and stress and intense bodily pressure,” King defined. “All of them come collectively [on] election week.”
Hemmer, whose psychological and bodily preparation begins days earlier than Election Day, instructed USA At present, “It’s actually vital to come back into the day as contemporary as you could be, which suggests, you are disciplined on Friday, Saturday, most of Sunday. Monday, you are type of rolling into it, and Tuesday, it’s lift-off.”
Kornacki, who recalled “barely sleeping” in the course of the 2020 presidential election, has a technique this yr to search out “little pockets to go clear [his] head” by taking walks in New York Metropolis between protection segments.
“That is useful, since you’re simply attempting to soak up all this info, these spreadsheets, maps, blah, blah and to get my head away from that and [get in] some contemporary air,” he instructed USA At present. “It is easy to get misplaced within the weeds making ready for these things, and typically I simply must step again and determine what’s actually vital and be prepared to speak.”
Election prep
As Election Day approaches, King emphasised that every day of preparation counts, telling USA At present that he’ll “examine, put together [and] be prepared bodily,” acknowledging that election week is an prolonged course of, not only a single night time.
Hemmer, who has coated each election cycle for Fox Information since 2005, dedicates hours every day to combing by means of the info he’s collected, usually altering his surroundings to maintain issues contemporary.
As he described it to USA At present, Hemmer spends time at his favourite examine spots round New York Metropolis, together with a historic library in downtown Manhattan with “lovely picket tables and home windows.”
Kornacki employs a equally intensive method, telling At present that his analysis includes “a variety of spreadsheets, a variety of numbers, a variety of attempting to memorize issues.”
He added, “99% of what I put together for I’ll by no means placed on the air, however you don’t know what that 1% is.”
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