CNN, Fox News, and MS NOW are preparing extensive coverage of the 2026 midterm elections. The networks will deploy their top anchors, political analysts, and correspondents to follow races nationwide.
CNN
CNN’s Election Day in America coverage begins at midnight ET on Tuesday, November 3rd, with Elex Michaelson reporting from the West Coast. Erica Hill takes over at 3 a.m., followed by Audie Cornish at 5 a.m. John Berman, Kate Bolduan, and Sara Sidner anchor at 7 a.m. from New York. Anderson Cooper takes over at 10 a.m., before Wolf Blitzer and Erin Burnett begin their coverage at noon.
CNN’s primetime special, Election Night in America, begins at 4 p.m. with Jake Tapper and Cooper co-anchoring from Washington, D.C. Dana Bash will break down key Senate races, while Kaitlan Collins reports on reactions from President Donald Trump and his administration. Meanwhile, Burnett will lead a panel from Texas, one of the country’s closely watched Senate battlegrounds.
John King will return to the Magic Wall to break down results and voting trends. Additionally, David Chalian, Kasie Hunt, Pamela Brown, Laura Coates, and Tom Foreman will provide polling analysis, turnout information, legal expertise, and fact-checking. David Axelrod, Scott Jennings, and Van Jones will also offer political analysis throughout the evening.
At 2 a.m. Wednesday, Berman and Bolduan will resume anchoring from New York. Harry Enten and Mark Preston will join them as ballots continue to be counted.
CNN will also deploy correspondents across key states, including Georgia, Michigan, Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Maine. More than 30 reporters and correspondents will provide updates from polling locations, ballot-counting centers, candidate headquarters, and the White House.
Fox News
Fox News will begin its primetime election coverage at 6 p.m. ET with FOX News Democracy 26. Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum will co-anchor the special, which will feature results and projections from the FOX News Decision Desk.
Joining them throughout the evening will be Dana Perino, Brit Hume, Harold Ford Jr., Bill Hemmer, Sandra Smith, Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity, Trace Gallagher, Harris Faulkner, Kayleigh McEnany, and Jessica Tarlov. The coverage will track House, Senate, and gubernatorial races, along with projections for control of Congress.
Gallagher will take over coverage through 4 a.m. Wednesday, when a special early edition of FOX & Friends First begins. Additionally, Fox Business Network will simulcast the election coverage from 6 p.m. Tuesday through 6 a.m. Wednesday.
More than 20 Fox News and Fox Business correspondents will report from states across the country. Jacqui Heinrich, Peter Doocy, and Aishah Hasnie will provide updates from Washington, D.C., while Chad Pergram reports from Capitol Hill.
The network will also expand its augmented reality graphics and data visualizations. Those features will illustrate county-level voting shifts, track the balance of power in Congress, and provide additional context for key races.
Outside of television, The Ruthless Podcast will host Ruthless Live! Midterm Election Show from 8-11 p.m. ET on FOX News Digital and FOX Nation. The program will originate from Washington, D.C., and feature Josh Holmes, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook, and Shashank Tripathi.
MS NOW
MS NOW will begin its primetime election coverage at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday with Rachel Maddow leading We The People. The special marks the network’s first midterm election as an independent news organization.
Maddow will be joined by Nicolle Wallace, Chris Hayes, Jen Psaki, Lawrence O’Donnell, Michael Steele, Symone Sanders Townsend, Ari Melber, Peter Alexander, and Stephanie Ruhle. The network will also feature special editions of Way Too Early, Morning Joe, Money, Power, Politics, State of Play, The Moment, and Deadline: White House throughout Election Day.
Ali Velshi will return to the Big Board to break down results, voting patterns, and polling data. Additionally, viewers can follow his behind-the-scenes VelshiCast on MS NOW’s YouTube channel. Ali Vitali will also join the Big Board team during the early morning hours.
MS NOW will deploy correspondents across 10 states, including Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Maine, Michigan, Texas, Iowa, Arizona, Kansas, and Alaska. Paula Reid will provide updates from the White House, while Alicia Menendez will anchor On the Line live from Houston.
The network’s coverage will continue into Wednesday morning, with Jonathan Capehart, Eugene Daniels, and Jackie Alemany taking over at 2 a.m. Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Willie Geist, and Jonathan Lemire will then host a special edition of Morning Joe.
Additionally, MS NOW will introduce new interactive programming for its members. The network will offer opportunities to engage directly with anchors and journalists through live programming and audience questions.
