What Election Day Is Really Like for NBC News’ Steve Kornacki—Including “Constant Supply” of Diet Coke

Steve Kornacki has election night all mapped out.

The NBC News chief data analyst returned to cover the 2026 midterm elections on Nov. 3, appearing on the network’s 13-hour marathon in what he described as “livestream history.”

“We’ll go nonstop through the night,” Kornacki wrote on X. “Truly hope you’ll come along for the ride.”

While the 47-year-old opted not to wear his signature khakis for this year’s shift—opting for a pair of dark trousers instead—he likely will need plenty of caffeine to sustain him during his all-nighter with the “Big Board.”

His drink of choice?

“Lots of Diet Coke,” he told GQ in 2020. “I’ll drink a ton of Diet Coke. I think that’s the main thing. Once we start getting election results, I feed off the energy. There’s constant stimulus.”

Despite being a self-proclaimed numbers guy, Kornacki often loses count of how many Diet Cokes he drinks throughout his newscasts. As he put it, “It’s just sort of a constant supply.”