Let’s hope Dave Wasserman is already asleep tonight. As senior editor and elections analyst at the Cook Political Report—an independent, nonpartisan outlet—and a key figure on the NBC News decision desk, he likes election eve to be restful.
Wasserman, 40, is known across social media for his catchphrase, “I’ve seen enough,” delivered when he is ready to unofficially call a race. His attention to the demographic details of the nation’s various districts and counties means that he often picks up trends in the electorate long before anyone else. In September 2016, that meant sketching out a potential Donald Trump win in the Electoral College despite a popular-vote loss, just less than two months before that outcome actually materialized.
While gearing up for this year’s late night, Wasserman tells Vanity Fair that he lets utility guide his outfit choices on election night, but a Friday appearance on C-SPAN was the perfect time to telegraph his final prediction for Tuesday via the color of his tie.
“It was a pink tie,” he says. “I’ll let viewers draw their own conclusions.”
Pink, as in “leaning R” on the CPR maps? Pink, as in JD Vance’s debate tie? Pink, as in all the women who are voting for Kamala Harris? Pink, as in completely inconclusive?
Vanity Fair: Do you remember when “I’ve seen enough” became your catchphrase? It really does explain how the experts make use of the data as it comes in.
Dave Wasserman: So I meant it literally—that I had seen enough to make a judgment that a certain candidate had won. I might’ve used it first for Scott Brown when he won a special election for Ted Kennedy’s open Senate seat, but I’m not exactly sure. It took on a life of its own. When people started asking me, Well, have you seen enough in this race or that race, then I indulged it enough that it became a catchphrase.
My goal was to cut through some of the false suspense of election nights. Now, I don’t fault media organizations for being deliberate in reporting results on the major election nights. I’m part of a major network’s decision-desk team, but the reality is, most of the time an election result is clear based on partial data before every network has declared a winner. My goal was to communicate the result at a slightly earlier point with a high level of confidence.
What is your Election Day routine?
In some ways it’s the most anticlimactic day because we have no new polls to pore over. So I try to get as much sleep as I can the night before Election Day. I unplug for at least a few hours of the day and get on the treadmill or the bike at the hotel gym. I’ve worked for the NBC News decision desk on every major election night since 2008, so a good portion of the day is reviewing our models, reviewing our data from prior elections to make sure that we can react as quickly as possible when we start getting real data.
How do you pick your Election Day outfit?
I try to dress as comfortably as possible for election night itself because there’s no point in looking TV-ready at three or four in the morning. That’s more of a 7 a.m. problem.
How do you stay up that late? What’s your main source of caffeine?
I’m caffeine-sensitive, so I might have a few Diet Cokes. I’m not one to guzzle coffee, because the election results themselves are our adrenaline and fuel for staying awake. Now, of course, around three or four in the morning, most election administrators go to bed, and there’s not that much new to report until the next day. That may or may not be the case in some states this time around—it’s possible that a few larger jurisdictions will be counting through the night. I’ve found that the optimal times to get sleep are probably between 5 and 7 a.m., and then we’re back in action the next morning.
What does the office setup look like on Election Day? How many monitors?
The NBC decision-desk setup looks like a miniature NASA mission control for election geeks. Everyone has a couple monitors of data that they’re looking at. My role is to help size up the House of Representatives, along with several other staff, so I am looking at several different models that we’ve developed at any given time.
You’ve grown a beard since the last presidential election. What’s your routine for keeping the beard looking great?
That’s the first time I’ve ever been asked that question! I just had to buy a new beard trimmer at CVS; it’s a Wahl. I suppose it was a pandemic decision that kind of stuck, because I’m too lazy to shave every day. There’s just too much going on, so I find that this is slightly easier maintenance.
What was the last TV show or movie you watched that made you say “I’ve seen enough” and turn it off?
Probably Society of the Snow, which I recently watched on Netflix, about the 1972 plane crash in the Andes.
The cannibalism one… Was it too graphic?
Well, yeah, it provoked a lot of thought, and I probably shouldn’t have watched it right after dinner. I’ll say that.
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