How Steve Kornacki Prepares for Election Night—and No, It Doesn't Involve Khakis

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Steve Kornacki.

The NBC News and MSNBC political correspondent knows just what he needs to power through events like the Nov. 5 presidential election between republican nominee Donald Trump and democratic nominee Kamala Harris.

“It’s a lot of spreadsheets, a lot of numbers, a lot of trying to memorize things,” Kornacki—known often as “chartdaddy” by his legion of social media fans—said during his Nov. 1 appearance on TODAY. “I say 99 percent of what I prepare for I will never put on the air, but you don’t know what that 1 percent is.”

And when cohosts Craig Melvin, Sheinelle Jones and Dylan Dreyer gifted Kornacki with a basket of Diet Coke and Nutter Butter cookies, he made sure to acknowledge, “This is going to come in handy, I can tell you.”

Indeed, the 45-year-old has previously shared the importance of the liquid fuel leading up to and during his coverage. 

“I'll drink a ton of Diet Coke,” Kornacki previously told GQ. “I couldn't even tell you how many. It’s just sort of a constant supply.”

“On a normal day, I'll have a couple,” he continued. “But on election night, I just keep it nearby and I’m just kind of regularly using it. These days [people] all tell you, ‘Oh, do you know what's in that?’ And I say, ‘Well, no I don't.’ But I guess it is supposed to be bad for you.” 

After downing a few Diet Cokes, though, the political correspondent switches to a different source of power.

“Once we start getting election results, I feed off the energy,” he told the outlet. “There's constant stimulus. Any state I look at, we're getting new votes constantly, the picture's changing, the picture's evolving. It’s kind of perpetual motion there. So that keeps me alert and I get energized by that.

Now, to help you get through election night, read on to see Kornacki in all his khaki glory.

(E!, NBC News and MSNBC are all part of the NBCUniversal family.) 

Meet Steve Kornacki: journalist, Massachusetts native, khaki lover. 

Much like his penchant for khaki pants, Kornacki also enjoys a striped tie and rolled up sleeves. 

Ah, a fancier version of the signature Kornacki ensemble. 

Behold the joy of Kornacki with his map board. 

And Kornacki doesn't just wear his khakis on election night. He also kicked off the 2022 football season in the classic pants.

You better believe his outfit for March Madness 2023 was also a slam dunk.

Kornacki rang in the new year in his time-honored trousers.

*BRB, just printing this one out for the fridge