MSNBC's Steve Kornacki Is an Election Icon

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It's Election Day once again, and Steve Kornacki is set to return to our screens to help us make sense of the results. If you're curious about the khaki-wearing icon, here's a bit more about him:

Original, November 2020: This year, election night has quickly turned into an election week, as mail-in ballots slowed down the vote-counting process. Amid the chaos, one warrior emerged, doing mental math on the spot, taking an ever-changing electoral map in stride, and, yes, making even the simplest pair of khaki pants look good. We are, of course, talking about MSNBC's Steve Kornacki, who has quickly become a very 2020 celebrity.

Therefore, to satisfy your curiosity (and our own), we've created a one-stop shop for everything you need to know about the tireless election night forecaster. We don't know what Kornacki's been running on (how is he still on his feet?), but we do know we want some of it. Keep reading for what we will now call "All About Steve."

Kornacki is a Massachusetts native.

The political correspondent grew up in Groton, Massachusetts, northwest of Boston. He later attended Boston University, where he majored in film and television. After the tragic 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, Kornacki wrote a heartfelt essay for Salon about the connection he feels with the city.

"For the first 22 years of our lives—the 22 years that shaped us into who and what we are today—our world revolved around Boston. And many of the people and many of the memories that mean the most to us are still there," he wrote. "The farther our lives have taken us from it, the more it’s come to feel like home."

He's worked in political journalism for years.

Kornacki began his career in news in 2002, as a reporter for PoliticsNJ.com, a New Jersey political news site. While he was there, and afterwards, Kornacki's writing appeared in a variety of reputable publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe. In 2010, Kornacki began writing at Salon full-time, later becoming the publication's politics editor.

In 2013, Kornacki transitioned from written to broadcast news, starting at MSNBC. He hosted Up with Steve Kornacki on Saturdays and Sundays and the Monday edition of Meet the Press Daily. He was also a co-host on MSNBC’s ensemble show The Cycle.

Now, rather than hosting a particular show, Kornacki is a National Political Correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC across all platforms. He gains the most notoriety during election season, where he parks himself in front of a big screen, tabulating all the votes as they arrive.

Kornacki also wrote a nonfiction book.

The journalist's book, published in 2018, is entitled The Red and the Blue: The 1990s and the Birth of Political Tribalism. According to its description, the book charts the polarization of U.S. politics, through the lens of two key political figures. The book "follows the twin paths of Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich, two larger-than-life politicians who exploited the weakened structure of their respective parties to attain the highest offices."

So, even after the election is over, you can keep some Kornacki in your life by picking up this critically acclaimed read.

In 2011, he came out in a powerful essay for Salon.

As Kornacki's career was taking off, he published a moving essay, coming out as gay. According to Out, Kornacki decided to come out in a public forum when he began seeing a man, with whom he wanted to begin a serious relationship. He apparently also used the essay to come out to his parents, showing it to them before it was published. According to his interview with Out, they were very supportive.

The essay, entitled "The coming out story I never thought I'd write," was an intensely personal disclosure of Kornacki's sexual orientation and was received well by readers. Out called Kornacki "one of a growing lineup of media figures who are dispelling the tired myths of what it means to be a gay man or woman."

At this point, Kornacki's relationship status is unclear, but he's not married, and doesn't appear to be dating anyone publicly.

He gets his election-night khakis from Gap.

Perhaps the most important Kornacki-related information? Where he gets his famous khakis. According to The Strategist, Kornacki's producer, Adam Noboa, relayed that the correspondent's election essential is purchased from none other than the Gap. Avid MSNBC watchers will know that when the khakis come out on election night, Kornacki means business.

The Strategist narrowed down the Kornacki khaki options to two possible choices: the Modern Khakis in Straight Fit or the Modern Khakis in Slim Fit. Truly, though, you can't go wrong.

Last year, Kornacki went viral on Twitter and TikTok.

In 2020, everyone seems to be craving some joy amidst the chaos, and indeed Steve Kornacki was a welcome distraction. Social media users latched on to the Kornacki hype, and made an assortment of memes and videos honoring the presidential election's unlikely hero. Twitter users made liberal use of the hashtag #TrackingKornacki.

Here is some of our favorite Kornacki content.

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