Flyby Investigates: The ‘Chartthrobs’ of Election Week

Election Day, which turned into Election Week, is finally over! Thank goodness, I didn’t know how much longer I could last. Were you #trackingkornacki or counting how many times John King said “this is fun'' to pass the time? I know I was. Now let’s get down to it, how did our favorite “chartthrobs” actually manage all those days of reporting nonstop?

How Are They So Energetic?

Despite being up for almost 48 hours straight, these reporters approached every waking second of election coverage with so much energy. I think we could all use a dose of their caffeine regimens for our morning classes. Kornacki reportedly lived off Diet Coke to keep going, and King reports a combination of water and loads of coffee before and during his shifts. Plus, adrenaline baby!

No Zzz’s for These Guys

Who knew someone could have a worse sleep schedule than a college student during midterms, but these guys sure do! In the first 45 hours of election coverage, Kornacki did not sleep at all. Talk about commitment, I’d be falling over by the end of the first 24. Reportedly within the first four days King only got 10 hours of sleep. It’s amazing these guys stayed standing for so long with so little sleep.

Are These Shifts Legal?

I know it seems like our favorite “chartthrobs” have been on air for five-plus days straight, but including breaks their shifts have only been for 12-14 hours. It did cross my mind watching them seemingly never take any breaks if their shifts were of legal length, and yes they were! In actuality there are no federal laws setting a maximum shift length, but we can rest easy knowing neither of them worked more than 14 hours without some form of break. So MSNBC was not holding Kornacki hostage as many TikToks might have suggested!

Maybe They’re Actually Just Superhuman?

Maybe the best explanation for Kornacki and King’s crazy levels of energy coupled with little sleep and long hours of reporting and “quick math,” is actually that they are simply superhuman. I mean, has anyone seen Kornacki in the same room as Superman, or King in the same room as Captain America? I think not.

The Magic Walls

John King dubbed his map the magic wall this year, and man it looks like the most fun version of an iPad ever. The knowledge these guys have of counties across the nation and their abilities to come up with so many possible outcomes on the spot is impeccable. So many people across Twitter and TikTok wondered: how do they do it? Well, for one experience. They have each been covering elections for many years, King stating he has been doing so for the past eight election cycles. So over time, and with the help of some prep, they know their counties, stats, and probable outcomes.

It's Over, Now What?

There for a while turning on the tv and being able to see Kornacki or King was our only constant for Election Week. Now what are we supposed to do since their 24/7 coverage is over? Well, you can tune into “Inside Politics” Sundays at 8 a.m. EST on CNN to catch up with John King.

Our two favorite Massachusetts natives helped us stay calm and collected while awaiting election results, but also caused us to stress about their wellbeing. Maybe it was a tactic to distract us from our election anxiety all along?