For Steve Kornacki, Election Day coverage is a marathon, not a sprint.
The beloved journalist, who serves as NBC News' chief data analyst, revealed how he prepares for hourslong livestreams in a new interview days after the record-breaking midterm elections.
"I've gotten much better about sort of prepping kind of year-round for this," he said Nov. 5 on NBC News Now. "I have flash cards, I have spreadsheets, I have nightmares before elections about getting things wrong."
Kornacki, whose sharp analysis has become an Election Day staple for many social media users in recent years, went live for a whopping 10 straight hours Nov. 3 as NBC News covered midterm elections.
Between hosting a "Kornacki Cam" livestream all night long and popping onto the main
television broadcast several times, the 47-year-old didn't catch a major break until he went off air early Nov. 4.
Here's what he said about the preparation.
Steve Kornacki reveals his Election Day secrets
Kornacki told anchor Tom Llamas that he and his producers practice with the electronic board displaying results in the October leading up to the election.
On the day of, Kornacki, a Massachusetts native, said he takes a page out of legendary Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach's book.
"I read a biography when I was a kid of the great basketball coach, Red Auerbach, and they said he never ate on game days because he was afraid it would take away his edge," he said. "So I do as Red did. I don't eat on game days – on Election Day."
Post-livestream, Kornacki said his first snacks included Cheez-its, trail mix and grapes.
Getting ready is made easier, Kornacki said, because he wears the same tie every day – the only one he owns.
"I don't even know how to tie it. But I know people who know how to tie ties. That's the key to getting ahead in life," Kornacki said.
Steve Kornacki explains abrupt livestream exit
This year, Kornacki had an abrupt ending to his election livestream. After about 10 hours on air, Kornacki told viewers he'd be taking five minutes and would be "right back," only to never return.
He later took to X to explain that he had to dip out earlier than he hoped.
"I was sure 13 hours would be fine but things caught up to me in a hurry at hour 10," he wrote. "I can't say thanks enough to all of you. What a ride and I think we did make livestream history. Sorry for the abrupt ending!"
Contributing: Brendan Morrow
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on Instagram @bymelinakhan and TikTok @melina.khan2.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How Steve Kornacki gets ready for elections: flash cards and one tie
