Off-year local elections will get national attention on cable news

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As a movie buff, I’ve noticed something similar happens with the political landscape after a big presidential election. All the really interesting stuff shifts to smaller, more local races – things happening at the state and city level. It’s like the blockbuster’s over, and now we’re getting into those smaller, character-driven stories.

Tuesday’s elections, including the important mayoral race in New York City and a California vote on how congressional districts are drawn, will have a significant impact nationwide. The governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey will be seen as a way to judge how voters feel about President Trump’s time in office.

Let me tell you, cable news is going to be all over this. These races aren’t just interesting on their own – they’re a big chance for a couple of networks going through some changes to see what’s working and what’s not. It’s like a real-time test of their new strategies.

According to Chris Stirewalt, political director for NewsNation, this election is the first of the 2026 midterms, and the focus immediately shifts to the 2028 election afterward. He notes that New Jersey and Virginia are representative of the country overall, and former President Trump’s approval ratings in those states closely mirror his national approval ratings.

MSNBC will cover its first election night as an independent network, no longer relying on the resources of NBC News. Starting November 15th, the network – which will rebrand as MS NOW – will become a separate company called Versant, spun off from its parent company, Comcast.

I’ve noticed something interesting about NBC News and MSNBC! It seems they’ve decided to keep their news reporting and opinion sides completely separate now – NBC News reporters and experts won’t be appearing on MSNBC anymore. But don’t worry, all my favorite opinion hosts like Rachel Maddow, Joe Scarborough, Nicolle Wallace, Ari Melber, and Lawrence O’Donnell are still going strong on MSNBC, which is a relief!

Regular MSNBC watchers will see a change this election season: Steve Kornacki, known for his detailed analysis at the big board, won’t be presenting data in that format. He agreed to a new contract with NBC last year, expanding his work to both news and sports coverage.

Hollywood Inc.

A former New York Times editor, who also founded the Free Press media company, is entering the challenging world of television news.

Steve Kornacki will contribute to election coverage on NBC News Now, the network’s free streaming service. Tom Llamas, anchor of “NBC Nightly News,” is heading up the coverage alongside Hallie Jackson, NBC News’s Washington correspondent, and Kristen Welker, moderator of “Meet the Press.”

I’m really interested to see Ali Velshi stepping into Steve Kornacki’s role for election night analysis – big shoes to fill! And it sounds like MSNBC is going all-out with coverage this year, sending 15 reporters across the country. I even heard they’re going to have Jacob Soboroff giving updates and analysis on TikTok, which is a cool way to reach a different audience.

CNN is using tonight’s programming to see if people are interested in its new streaming service, which launched just last week.

CNN’s debate coverage will feature its regular anchors like Jake Tapper, Anderson Cooper, and Erin Burnett. In addition, the network will offer a separate online stream with political analyst Harry Enten, conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, and radio host Charlamagne tha God providing alternative commentary.

CNN’s live election coverage, called “Election Livecast,” will be available only to CNN All Access subscribers from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Pacific time. A CNN spokesperson said the program will offer a relaxed and conversational take on the election results.

This will be the first time CNN, a part of Warner Bros. Discovery, has provided complete live coverage specifically for viewers watching on streaming platforms.

Fox News will feature Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum anchoring a special broadcast at 10 PM Eastern and 7 PM Pacific time, replacing their usual comedy show, “Gutfeld!”

How election results are announced will be different in 2025. Instead of relying on one source for data, major networks like Fox News, CBS, NBC, ABC, and CNN will all be using information and analysis from the Associated Press. The AP partnered with Fox News and the University of Chicago several years ago to develop this new system.

Starting Tuesday, all five networks will get voting results at the same time.

NewsNation, owned by Nexstar Media Group, will be using Decision Desk HQ to announce election results. Notably, Decision Desk HQ was the first to project the winner of the 2024 presidential election, doing so 15 minutes ahead of other news organizations.

Calling races quickly gives analysts more time to understand what the results mean for the 2026 midterm elections and the 2028 presidential race. They’ll likely focus heavily on interpreting the outcomes to predict future elections.

According to Stirewalt, tonight’s election results could significantly shape the political landscape for the next two years. He predicts that if California’s Proposition 50 passes and Zohran Mamdani wins the New York mayoral race, it would position Governor Gavin Newsom and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as potential presidential candidates in 2028.

According to Stirewalt, a victory in this recall would be a significant achievement for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, establishing her as a leader of a movement. It would also allow California Governor Gavin Newsom to claim success, demonstrating his ability to win even on controversial issues and defeat Donald Trump’s influence.

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2025-11-04 14:35