As Americans head to the polls on Tuesday, it’s important to remember that reporting the results will be a marathon, not a sprint. With that in mind, TVNewser reached out to the poll watchers at various news networks to weigh in on what viewers need to know amidst the incoming flood of Election Night data.
Leland Vittert, NewsNation’s chief Washington anchor
Which battleground state(s) will you be keeping the closest eye on during Election Night?
The big seven, of course. I will be most interested in Virginia and New Hampshire to see if Donald Trump is way outperforming. Florida’s ability to count early should give us a sense of where Trump is doing versus 2020 numbers with some very diverse counties. I am most interested in the combinations early. If Trump wins Georgia and North Carolina, it opens things up for him. Similarly, if he loses either one his path gets much narrower.
What factors go into determining when to call a state for a particular candidate?
I will listen to the Decision Desk. We will be reporting on their projections. It is very comforting to have people way smarter than me in charge of that.
How do you balance the pressure of wanting to be right with the demands of wanting to break news?
The price of being wrong is paid over a very, very long period of time. I live by an old adage I learned in flying: Get it right the first time, every time
What are some of the things you want viewers to keep in mind as they’re watching the results roll in?
Things will change over the night. If it is super close in multiple states it could go back and forth over the week. The most important thing is America’s best days are ahead… they always have been.
Do you expect we’ll know which candidate won by the end of Election Night?
My over-under is about 2:30-3 a.m. ET
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