NBC News and MSNBC's Steve Kornacki is ready for Election Day

How will NBC News and MSNBC's Steve Kornacki get through Election Day without Diet Coke — and possibly comfortable khakis? The national political correspondent and head of the Big Board tells all.

The “Kornacki Khakis” may or may not make a comeback this election year.

“Some voters are undecided in the presidential race, and I think I'm kind of undecided,” Steve Kornacki tells USA TODAY during a video call from his apartment in New York City. “I'm not exactly what you would call a fashion-conscious person. I never had to worry too much about my wardrobe.”

Kornacki, 45, said he “really didn’t understand” the furor over his outfit choice in the last election cycle. The NBC and MSNBC national political correspondent had gone viral on social media for his near-round-the-clock election analysis and signature Gap khakis during the 2020 presidential election.

“I was amused by the interest,” Kornacki said. “I never really understood it. It's not like I had a lifelong attachment to these pants. They were exactly what I happened to be wearing that day.”

Kornacki recalled that his producer came to him a few days after the election and asked him what brand of pants he wore on the show, which confused him slightly.

“Maybe I’ll wear it, maybe I’ll wear something else,” Kornacki said when asked if he would like to wear them this time. “We’ll see what spirit moves me.”

The Khakis and Kornackis' enthusiasm over the election results also earned him the nicknames “Chartthrob” and “Map Daddy.”

When asked which of the two he would prefer, he laughs: “Not option C either. I take it with a clear conscience, but I’m a little unsure about the attention.”

Kornacki runs on Dunkin'

The khakis aren't the only thing that may not make a comeback this election cycle. It turns out that Kornacki also switched from Diet Coke to coffee and now relies on Dunkin'.

“I don't even know why, but I started drinking coffee a few years ago and now that's the main thing,” says Kornacki, adding that his favorite coffee comes from Dunkin', which also has a branch in the basement of 30 Rockefeller Center, home of NBC Studios.

“(It’s) very smooth and very drinkable after 20 minutes,” he adds.

No snacks before crunch time

While Kornacki expects to sip endless cups of coffee, he says he won't be eating much “if at all” leading up to and on election night, adding that, according to Kornacki, he takes inspiration from late Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach , was inspired , “never practiced a game after eating.”

“He fasted all day until the game because he said when he ate it took away his energy and slowed him down,” Kornacki said. “I understand that. That's kind of my experience. I don't want to compare myself to the big red one, but it's an interesting perspective. A big meal definitely slows you down, even something in between.”

Kornacki added that he didn't want to have to deal with a full stomach on election night.

“I want to have as much energy just from the interest in it (election results),” Kornacki said. “I don’t want to take that away from me (by eating).”

Similar to CNN's John King and Fox News' Bill Hemmer, Kornacki says it's the adrenaline that gets him through the night, not the food.

“I love elections and election nights because we spend so much time leading up to it trying to figure out what's going on and coming up with all kinds of theories,” Kornacki said. “That’s where the adrenaline really comes into play. For me it's, 'I don't know what's going to happen, but we're going to find out.'”

Kornacki explained that the information on election night was “coming piece by piece” and that he was excited about putting it together like the pieces of a puzzle.

“Just seeing it play by play captivates me and I hope the audience does too,” he said. “I hope the experience is that we all see this map (of America) slowly come into focus and take shape together.”

Manage physical and mental health

An event as violent as this is bound to take a toll on a person's mental and physical health, and Kornacki is aware of this, recalling that during the 2020 presidential election, he “finally started to feel the fatigue” on the Saturday after the election. Day. Kornacki's steadfast commitment to staying awake during election night and the days that followed also made him the subject of chatter and memes on social media.

“I hardly slept,” says Kornacki. “But for a few days I didn’t feel it at all. I ended up sleeping about an hour for three days (and) when you're severely sleep-deprived, I think you get more emotional.”

Kornacki said he didn't know if getting emotional was a “medically proven thing” but that it felt like “weird jet lag.”

“I remember the Friday night before (Saturday’s presidential election results) when I took a short break,” the anchor said. “When I came out of the air it was a strange feeling that I have never experienced in my life. It wasn't anything special, I just felt very emotional. It had nothing to do with the outcome or anything.”

Kornacki later managed to catch up on sleep, saying that when the election was called he “slept longer that Saturday than he had ever slept in his life.”

While the journalist hopes that the official results of this election will not be as long in coming as the 2020 election – given that it took place at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and there was an overwhelmed postal voting system – he said : “There is a danger of anticipating something with elections.”

To ensure he's alert and active during the time he's on air, Kornacki said he finds “little pockets to clear my head” while taking a walk in New York City.

“It's helpful because you're just trying to take in all this information, these spreadsheets, maps, blah, blah, and take my mind off of it and get some fresh air,” Kornacki said. “It's easy to get lost in preparing for these things, and sometimes I just have to take a step back and figure out what's really important and be ready to communicate.”

According to Kornacki, on the actual election day he will get out in the early afternoon hours to clear his head.

“What happens on Election Day is you're inundated with anecdotal reports from all over the world all day long,” Kornacki said. “I want to block out all the noise in the afternoon hours and then come in when things get serious.”

Kornacki will break down the election results on Tuesday on the Big Board and viewers can watch everything on the Kornacki Cam.

Politics has become a “permanent election campaign”.

As for Kornacki's post-election plans, the moderator jokes: “2028 is already starting. You call it the permanent election campaign, right?”

However, he says he plans to go on vacation but hasn't decided where yet.

“My ideal vacation is impossible because I love fall as a season,” says Kornacki. “In an election year like this, I can’t enjoy the fall. I walk outside for about 12 minutes every day to get to the subway (and the office). And that's basically how I experienced autumn this year.”

He added: “In a normal year I would find a way to get out. I'm originally from New England and (during) the foliage season I get to drive around. Ideally, I would like to do that on vacation.”

Saman Shafiq is a featured news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

Kornacki runs on Dunkin'

No snacks before crunch time

Manage physical and mental health

Politics has become a “permanent election campaign”.

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