Coffee, squats and spreadsheets: How TV news anchors gear up for election night

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 workweeks of the year.

For these news personalities, election night means hours of live reporting, intricate data analysis and connecting with millions of viewers — all while balancing the pressure of delivering accurate, real-time updates.

To manage the demands, each anchor has traditionally followed a unique set of rituals, from caffeine-fueled days and fitness regimens to mindful practices and rigorous research. Here’s a look at how they’re bracing themselves physically and mentally for the high-stakes roller coaster of Election Day.

Caffeine: The fuel of choice

Caffeine is a go-to staple for election night anchors like CNN’s John King, who admitted to drinking “probably 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 drinking coffee a few years ago, and now that’s the main thing.”

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 really nauseous when I was pregnant 14 years ago, and I just never went back.”

Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer approaches caffeine with more caution, telling USA Today that it’ll otherwise “burn through” his stomach.

To keep his energy up, Hemmer said he might grab a whole-milk latte with two shots of espresso in the late afternoon to get him through the night — and, on occasion, a late-night Red Bull.

Mindful snacking

In a 2020 interview with GQ, Kornacki revealed, “I haven’t had breakfast in 28 or 29 years,” and that he generally doesn’t eat anything on election night because he feels a large meal would slow him down.

That preference remains unchanged. “I want to have so much energy just from the interest in [the election results],” he recently told Today, adding, “I don't want to take that away [by eating].”

Still, a small 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.

“These are dangerous,” Kornacki joked as he accepted the treats, adding, “This is going to come in handy, I can tell you.”

Meanwhile, Bash opts for a small morning bite, telling Couric she typically has two pieces of nutrient-dense Ezekiel toast with almond butter before starting her day.

Hemmer also sticks to a routine, but knows when to bend 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 o'clock in the morning,” he admitted. “Sometimes that gives you energy you don't expect.”

Pre-election rituals for mental clarity

Physical fitness is essential for maintaining the mental stamina needed for marathon election coverage, especially for those who are on their feet for hours at a time.

King, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2008 and “can’t feel from [his] thighs down,” told USA Today that he incorporates squats, treadmill sessions and light-to-medium weights into his pre-election routine to prepare for the physical toll.

“The things that most trigger my MS, sometimes [are] random, but the normal triggers are heat and stress and intense physical strain,” King explained. “They all come together [on] election week.”

Hemmer, whose mental and physical preparation starts days before Election Day, told USA Today, “It’s really important to come into the day as fresh as you can be, which means, you're disciplined on Friday, Saturday, most of Sunday. Monday, you're kind of rolling into it, and Tuesday, it’s lift-off.”

Kornacki, who recalled “barely sleeping” during the 2020 presidential election, has a strategy this year to find “little pockets to go clear [his] head” by taking walks in New York City between coverage segments.

“That's helpful, because you're just trying to absorb all this information, these spreadsheets, maps, blah, blah and to get my head away from that and [get in] some fresh air,” he told USA Today. “It's easy to get lost in the weeds preparing for this stuff, and sometimes I just need to step back and figure out what's really important and be ready to communicate.”

Election prep

As Election Day approaches, King emphasized that each day of preparation counts, telling USA Today that he will “study, prepare [and] be ready physically,” acknowledging that election week is an extended process, not just a single night.

Hemmer, who has covered every election cycle for Fox News since 2005, dedicates hours each day to combing 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 around New York City, including a historic library in downtown Manhattan with “beautiful wooden tables and windows.”

Kornacki employs a similarly intensive approach, telling Today that his research involves “a lot of spreadsheets, a lot of numbers, a lot of trying to memorize 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.”