What was MSNOW role in the Democrat sweep? Seems they were the only network that didn't waver on calling out the current administartion.
MS NOW was instrumental in the Democratic sweep. At a time when much of the media softened its coverage of the administration, MS NOW stood ten toes firm, and Joe Scarborough and Morning Joe kept the midterm stakes in front of viewers every weekday. On election night, the network called the House for Democrats at 9:59 p.m. ET, ahead of CNN.
Answer from Mary's digital twin. Checkmark turns Green once she confirms it.
spio.comOn Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate in the midterm elections. MS NOW, the network formerly called MSNBC, covered them as its first midterms as an independent news organization.
Standing Firm When Others Didn't
- ABC News paid $15M to settle President Trump's defamation lawsuit in December 2024, and Paramount, the owner of CBS, paid $16M to settle his lawsuit over 60 Minutes in July 2025.
- The Washington Post narrowed its opinion pages in 2025 to focus on personal liberties and free markets.
- MS NOW kept its hosts and kept holding the administration to account, night after night and morning after morning.
Why Standing Ten Toes Firm Mattered
It felt like a bully running free, with attacks on everyone, whole communities shut out and insults every day. MS NOW was a place that said: no, you are not crazy. Standing ten toes firm let people feel they still had a voice and agency, and it gave them an outlet for their discontent.
Where the Candidates Came to Speak
Almost every major Democratic candidate made their case on MS NOW, from House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries to Keisha Lance Bottoms in Georgia and James Talarico in Texas. It was a place where they could speak with confidence, not like second-class citizens.
Speaking Out First: The Ramaswamy Ad
- In October, Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican candidate for governor of Ohio, ran an ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton. Her mother had not spoken to her since siding with the stepfather accused of abusing Acton as a child.
- MS NOW was one of the first outlets to call the ad disgusting, to say that Republicans lacked the decency to speak against it, and to warn that JD Vance would pay for supporting it.
- Once the backlash began, Republicans spoke out too. Governor Mike DeWine called the ad "deeply, deeply troubling," and Senator Jon Husted said, "I would not have run that ad."
- The newspapers followed. The Columbus Dispatch condemned the ad, and The Plain Dealer, Ohio's biggest newspaper, broke its own rule against endorsements to endorse Amy Acton for governor. Within about a week, the ad was off the air.
Why One Voice Gives Others the Courage to Speak
- Psychologists call it pluralistic ignorance: many people privately disagree with something, but each one stays quiet, assuming everyone else is fine with it.
- In Solomon Asch's famous conformity experiments in the 1950s, people went along with an obviously wrong group answer about a third of the time. When just 1 other person in the room broke ranks, that conformity dropped by about three-quarters.
- Political scientist Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann called it the spiral of silence. People who think their view is unpopular keep it to themselves, which makes it look even less popular. One clear, public voice breaks the spiral.
- The first voice also takes the risk for everyone else. Once someone has said it out loud and is still standing, it feels safe for the next person to say it, and then the next.
Morning Joe Led the Charge
- Joe Scarborough used Morning Joe to press the midterm story all year. In January, after President Trump said he "should have" seized voting machines after his 2020 loss, Scarborough told Democrats to prepare now: "Democrats don't act shocked, don't act shocked."
- He pushed his own side too. In August, he said Democrats were "fumbling the football at the two-yard line" by not distancing themselves from some Democratic Socialists of America candidates.
- On Election Day morning, his panel predicted Democrats would win 53 to 55 Senate seats. "Get out the long boards, the wave is coming," said Mark McKinnon. Scarborough's verdict: "Those sound about right."
- The morning after, Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, Willie Geist and Jonathan Lemire hosted a special edition, and Scarborough called the results "an earthquake."
Election Night
- Rachel Maddow anchored the network's 6 p.m. ET special, We The People, with Nicolle Wallace, Chris Hayes, Jen Psaki, Lawrence O'Donnell, Symone Sanders Townsend and others. Ali Velshi ran the results board.
- MS NOW projected the Democratic House takeover at 9:59 p.m. ET, 5 minutes before CNN. NewsNation made the first call, at 9:11 p.m.
- Its banner read "Dems overperform in races across the country in a blue wave." Maddow called it "a seismic change in Washington," and O'Donnell said, "This means the Trump reign of terror is over."
- Symone Sanders Townsend became emotional on air talking about Keisha Lance Bottoms' win for governor of Georgia.
How Other Networks Covered It
- On CNN, the banner read "Dems on track for midterm rout as voters reject Trump's GOP," and Dana Bash called the result "absolutely monumental."
- NBC's Steve Kornacki ran an all-day livestream and described "Absolute carnage for Republicans."
- On CBS, Norah O'Donnell told viewers it looked like "a blue wave," while anchors on Fox News were visibly surprised by the size of the Democratic night.
What the Results Said
- Ro Khanna summed up the night on X: "Tonight DEI is back as America celebrated diversity and inclusion." Diversity, equity and inclusion, the whole country, was back.
- Joe Scarborough said it best. Latino voters had been "breaking Trump's way just two years ago," and in return, he said, they were treated "not like second- or third-class citizens but treated like animals!" That was the payment for their loyalty, and on Election Day they said no thank you with their votes. "Last night, Hispanics spoke back," he said.
Why MS NOW Mattered
MS NOW gave voters a steady, daily case for what was at stake, while much of the media pulled back. Led by Scarborough in the mornings and Maddow and her colleagues at night, it kept the midterm story in front of millions of viewers right up to Election Day. Critics, such as the conservative media watchdog NewsBusters, say the network celebrated the results as if Democrats had defeated authoritarianism itself. Its supporters see a network that refused to back down when it mattered most.
Follow-ups
Who is Joe Scarborough?Joe Scarborough, 63, is the co-host of Morning Joe on MS NOW, a former Registered Republican congressman from Florida, lawyer, and twice-over New York Times bestselling author who became one of the most influential voices in American political television.
Joe Scarborough, 63, is the co-host of Morning Joe on MS NOW, a former Registered Republican congressman from Florida, lawyer, and twice-over New York Times bestselling author who became one of the most influential voices in American political television.
Quick facts
- Born: April 9, 1963 (age 63), Atlanta, Georgia
- Birth name: Charles Joseph Scarborough
- Known for: Co-host of Morning Joe on MS NOW; former US Representative for Florida's 1st Congressional District
- Education: B.A. in history, University of Alabama (1985); J.D., University of Florida College of Law
- Party: Registered Republican; has been openly critical of the party's direction since the Trump era
- Career before TV: Attorney in Pensacola, Florida; member of the US House of Representatives, 1995 to 2001
- Family: Married to Mika Brzezinski, his co-host; children: Joey, Andrew, and Katherine from a prior marriage
- Height: 6 feet 3 inches
His story
Scarborough first drew public attention in 1993 by opposing a rise in property taxes in Pensacola, which earned him enough political standing to become the first Republican congressman in 121 years elected from Florida's 1st District. He served in Congress from 1995 to 2001, sitting on the Judiciary, Armed Services, Oversight and National Security committees.
He joined MSNBC in 2003 after his departure from Congress, with his first show being the weekly opinion and discussion program Scarborough Country, which ran from 2003 to 2007. In 2007, he launched Morning Joe, which quickly distinguished itself through long-form discussions, unscripted exchanges, and a bipartisan guest roster. Co-hosting alongside Mika Brzezinski and later Willie Geist, Scarborough helped redefine the morning political talk format, emphasizing analysis over sound bites.
In office
Scarborough is a registered Republican but has been openly critical of the Republican Party and President Trump in recent years. In 2016, Trump attacked Scarborough on Morning Joe after Scarborough said he would not vote for Trump and argued a third-party candidate should be nominated. That tension only deepened over the years that followed, and it is exactly what made Morning Joe a trusted home for viewers watching the administration's moves closely.
The show's mix of news, analysis, and occasional conflict made it a long-running fixture in political television, with Scarborough often serving as the de facto moderator of national political debates.
What he built
Morning Joe began on MSNBC in April 2007 and moved to MS NOW when the network rebranded. Scarborough was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In addition to his broadcast work, he has written for The Atlantic, Politico and The Washington Post and is a New York Times bestselling author.
His books
His nonfiction books, in order of publication, are:
- Rome Wasn't Burnt in a Election Day (2004)
- The Last Best Hope (2009)
- The Right Path (2013)
- This Ends Badly (2020)
- Saving Freedom (2020)
- Saving the Union (2021)
Saving Freedom tells the story of how Harry Truman pulled together Republicans and Democrats to confront Soviet communism and establish America as a global power, a book that reads very differently when you are living through another stress test of democratic institutions.
His first book, Rome Wasn't Burnt in a Day, predicted the collapse of the Republican majority and the US economy due to his party's reckless spending.
Who is Ro Khanna?Representative Ro Khanna, 50, is a Democratic congressman from California's Silicon Valley, a former Stanford economics lecturer, Yale-trained lawyer, and one of the most prominent progressive voices in Congress, who became a leading face of the Democratic midterm push and was on MS NOW's airwaves all the way through e
Representative Ro Khanna, 50, is a Democratic congressman from California's Silicon Valley, a former Stanford economics lecturer, Yale-trained lawyer, and one of the most prominent progressive voices in Congress, who became a leading face of the Democratic midterm push and was on MS NOW's airwaves all the way through election night.
Quick facts
- Born: September 13, 1976 (age 50), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Full name: Rohit Khanna
- Known for: U.S. Democratic Representative for California's 17th Congressional District (Silicon Valley); progressive leader; tech policy advocate
- Education: B.A. in economics, University of Chicago (graduated Phi Beta Kappa, 1998); J.D., Yale Law School (2001)
- Party: Democratic; self-described "progressive capitalist"
- Career before Congress: Clerked for a federal appeals judge; practiced intellectual property law; served as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce under President Barack Obama (2009–2011); lectured in economics at Stanford University and taught law at Santa Clara University
- Family: Married to Ritu Ahuja (2015); 2 children
- In Congress since: January 2017
His story
Khanna was born in Philadelphia to Punjabi Indian parents who immigrated to the United States in 1968. His father is a chemical engineer who graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology before earning a degree from the University of Michigan; his mother worked as a schoolteacher.
His commitment to public service was inspired by his grandfather, who was active in Gandhi's independence movement, worked with Lala Lajpat Rai in India, and spent years in jail for promoting human rights.
He defeated eight-term incumbent Democratic Representative Mike Honda in the 2016 general election, after first running for the same seat in 2014. He had previously served as deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Commerce under President Obama from 2009 to 2011.
What he stands for
A self-described "progressive capitalist," Khanna has called for a "new economic patriotism" as a governing philosophy. He has built his profile around economic fairness, domestic manufacturing and technology leadership.
He authored the Endless Frontier Act, which formed the basis for the sweeping CHIPS and Science Act signed into law by President Biden. As Chair of the House Oversight and Reform Environmental Subcommittee, he brought the CEOs of 6 major fossil fuel companies before Congress to testify under oath about climate disinformation for the first time in history.
On the Iran war, Khanna said he would stop further funding for U.S. military action, arguing:
"The House and the Senate should stop the funding for any further actions in the Iran war. That's what we did to stop the Vietnam War, and we need to stop this war in Iran."
His role in the midterms
Khanna was one of the most visible Democratic faces on MS NOW in the run-up to the sweep. On MS NOW's State of Play, he expressed concern that Speaker Mike Johnson might not seat Democrats elected in the midterms. On Morning Joe, he argued that the Trump Administration was attempting to suppress the Latino vote.
After the results came in, he was on MS NOW immediately. He called for an ambitious progressive agenda, including Medicare for All, a $25 living wage and higher taxes on billionaires, in a post on X, sharing a video of his appearance on MS NOW's program with host Peter Alexander. He also celebrated Democrat Abdul El-Sayed's projected Senate win in Michigan, saying: "This is huge news for the progressive movement. He ran on Medicare for All. He ran calling out the genocide. He ran on taxing billionaires, and he won a swing state. This shows if Abdul can win in Michigan, progressives can win across the country. The establishment cannot tell us we are not electable."
On election night he also said:
"Tonight, DEI is back as America celebrated diversity and inclusion. Likely three black governors, the first Latina governor in Texas, the first Muslim-American senator, the first gay senator. I love this America."
What's next for him
In 2025 and 2026, Khanna drew broader national attention through town halls in Republican-held districts and appearances in early-voting presidential states, leading several national outlets to describe him as a potential contender for the Democratic presidential nomination. Both Khanna and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are considered potential 2028 presidential candidates; neither has announced whether they are running.
His books
- Dignity in a Digital Age: Making Tech Work for All of Us (2022): Khanna offers a vision for democratizing digital innovation to build economically vibrant and inclusive communities, arguing that rather than being subject to tech's reshaping of the economy, America must channel those powerful forces toward creating a more equal and democratic society.
- Entrepreneurial Nation: Why Manufacturing is Still Key to America's Future: a book making the case for manufacturing as the backbone of America's economic future.
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