Gayle King Almost Pulled an All-Nighter to Cover the Midterm Elections

This year’s midterm elections were a true example of the saying: “The only polls that matter are the ones on Election Day.” Both Democrats and Republicans went into Election Day with certain expectations, including Republicans anticipating a “red wave” that turned out to be more of a “red sprinkle,” as we reported on CBS.

I watched the night unfold from a front-row seat to history, as I like to describe it. I co-anchored a panel for CBS's special election night programming, America Decides: Campaign 22, from our studios in New York City alongside Norah O’Donnell, Margaret Brennan, and John Dickerson, plus teams of anchors, correspondents, reporters, and producers across the nation bringing us updates from their sources. It was all hands on deck for us, and everyone felt excited to be there, even though it was a very long night.

Technically, I was excused at 11 p.m., but then, I see everyone else staying who also have to work early the next morning. To me, that would be like an athlete who gets up and leaves in the middle of the game. How could I have done that? It wouldn’t have felt right, especially because I really wanted to see how the results would play out. There were definitely wins and losses on both sides of the aisle.

The governor’s race in Georgia between Stacey Abrams and incumbent Brian Kemp ended with another win for Kemp. It was disappointing because we all saw how hard Stacey worked. She galvanized the vote in the last election, an effort that has certainly benefited Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock, though the race for Senate is still undecided as it stands today. This election was a rematch between her and incumbent Kemp, and the people of Georgia like the job he’s doing. Many of Stacey’s supporters believe that she was denied the first time and really hoped to see her win this time around. But it wasn’t meant to be.

There were a few historic wins this year: Maxwell Frost was elected to be the first Gen Z member of Congress, which I think is an extraordinary feat. It was also a huge night for Governor Ron DeSantis, who won reelection in Florida. We also watched as Wes Moore became Maryland’s first Black governor and Maura Healey became the first openly lesbian governor in history and the first woman to be elected governor of Massachusetts.

A lot of eyes were on the Pennsylvania Senate race between John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz. I’ve been told by many pundits in the race for Senate in Pennsylvania that Oprah’s endorsement of Democratic candidate Fetterman made a difference. Oprah tends to stay out of politics, and she didn’t jump into the conversation lightly, but she certainly did make a difference.

Many look at the midterms as a signal of what’s to come in the presidential race, but I say it’s much too early to tell. Former president Donald Trump is still telling the false narrative of a rigged election, and this midterm showed that voters are not buying that tale. For the Republican Party, I think there will be more people willing to run against him for the party’s nomination if he does decide to run again for office.

Some of last night’s races, of course, are still undecided as election officials work tirelessly to count votes. Election night can very easily become election week. And although I stayed up for about 23 hours yesterday, I do love the feeling of watching history play out. We ended the night with a cheer, not because of the results or even because no challenges lie ahead, but because we are proud of the work we did and all the work to come in the days ahead as we move forward with a split Congress.

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