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Fox News bests MS NOW, CNN as most-watched cable news network on 2026 midterm election night

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Cite

Wulfsohn, J. (2026, November 6). Fox News bests MS NOW, CNN as most-watched cable news network on 2026 midterm election night. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/media/fox-news-bests-msnbc-cnn-most-watched-cable-news-network-2026-midterm-election-night

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

Fox News · collected 2026-11-06 · by Joseph Wulfsohn

Quick Summary

Fox News Channel topped CNN and MS NOW in viewership on election night for the 2026 midterm elections, reaching an average of 4.3 million total viewers during primetime according to Nielsen data. Fox also saw significant engagement online with 3.3 million social media interactions and 15.4 million YouTube video views. The network’s coverage included contributions from multiple well-known personalities like Bret Baier, Martha MacCallum, and President Donald Trump, who called in to discuss the results. Democrats had a strong performance, regaining control of both chambers of Congress.
Written by AI on 2026-11-06, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On November 6, 2026, Fox News became the most-watched cable news network during the 2026 midterm election coverage, averaging 4.3 million total viewers in primetime, surpassing both CNN and MS NOW. CNN placed second with an average of 4.1 million viewers, while MS NOW ranked third with 3.7 million viewers. Fox News also saw significant engagement online, experiencing double-digit spikes in digital metrics and garnering 3.3 million social media interactions and reaching 15.4 million YouTube video views during the election night coverage. The network's coverage was anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum, who were joined by several other Fox News personalities throughout the evening as Democrats secured control of both the House and Senate.

Written for “Fox News Leads Midterm Election Night Viewing” on 2026-11-06, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political question, so it has no leaning score. That is an answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political position.
No political leaning scored for article 133176 · logged 2026-11-06

Story

📰 Fox News Leads Midterm Election Night Viewing
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 21% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Trump slump? Lachlan Murdoch cites ‘viewer fatigue’ as Fox ratings dive Different event
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ Centre Hedges 2 of 21 claims Outlet record 61/100
“The articles describe different aspects of Fox News' performance - one mentions a decline in viewership before midterms, while the other reports high viewership during the actual election night.”
Fox News election night viewership plummets from 2022 during midterm thrashing for Republicans Different event
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 1 of 2 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles describe different aspects of Fox News' performance during the midterm elections; one focuses on a ratings decline compared to 2022, while the other reports that Fox News was the most-watched cable news network on election night.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
14
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
21%
3 of 14 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
67/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-06 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Fox News · 6785 article(s) · 14 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 14 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Joseph Wulfsohn
37 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Meanwhile, it is unclear whether Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., will have enough votes in his caucus to reclaim the title as Senate Majority Leader, as several newly elected Democrats have previously said they won't back him.
2026-11-06 · mixed framing · Fox News bests MS NOW, CNN as most-watched cable news network on 2026 midterm election night
🔮 "This will be the biggest national wipeout for Republicans since 2006, when voters brutally punished the GOP for an ill-advised and poorly planned war in the Middle East," The Federalist co-founder Sean Davis said.
2026-11-04 · assertive framing · Conservatives stunned by 'catastrophic' midterm blue tsunami, blame Trump's Iran war, high gas prices
🔮 It is something that Democrats have tried to do in races where they think it could be to their advantage to run candidates that could siphon votes away from Republicans, and Republicans do the same," Bash continued.
2026-10-30 · assertive framing · Liberal media downplays Alaska ballot scandal while decrying GOP 'pouncing'
🔮 Many on the call shrugged it off as routine politics and said that Republicans have also engaged in similar scheming. When Weiss asked for other examples of ballot confusion, "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan reportedly pointed to New Hampshire Senate candidate John Sununu, suggesting that midterm voters might confuse him with his brother, former Governor Chris Sununu.
2026-10-29 · mixed framing · Bari Weiss faced 'significant resistance' from CBS News staffers about Alaska ballot scandal, insiders say
🔮 Fox News previously obtained records showing Moussa Diawara alleged in his 2009 asylum application that he would face persecution if he were sent back to Mali due to his sexuality.
2026-10-29 · mixed framing · DHS told '60 Minutes' weeks before segment aired that deported Malian national had once claimed to be gay
🔮 RFK Jr., when he ran against Joe Biden, Republicans propped him up, a lot of Trump donors were giving him money because they thought he would dig into some of Biden's supporters.
2026-10-29 · assertive framing · Dem strategist shrugs off Alaska ballot scandal on MS NOW, insists 'this stuff happens all the time'
🔮 The illegal alien claimed he was a HOMOSEXUAL in order to try and dodge deportation to Mali," ICE posted on X. Fox News exclusively obtained Diawara’s 2009 asylum application in which he declared that he needed to remain in America because he was a gay man who could be killed if sent back to his native country.
2026-10-27 · mixed framing · Deported migrant who '60 Minutes' painted as sympathetic family man claimed he was gay on asylum application
🔮 I wanted to be as loud about the win as possible so that other journalists will not be afraid to speak the truth."
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · Washington Post columnist reinstated after being fired over Charlie Kirk posts gloats about receiving back pay
🔮 "You’re not supposed to do stories that might make Democrats look bad."
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · CBS boss fuels left-wing uproar amid report she urged staff to probe alleged El-Sayed, Muslim Brotherhood ties
🔮 "Early in 2027, she will scale back her CNN International show, ‘Amanpour,’ to once a week.
2026-10-19 · assertive framing · Veteran CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour announces exit from network, will go off the air next June
Also by Joseph Wulfsohn
Conservatives stunned by 'catastrophic' midterm blue tsunami, blame Trump's Iran war, high gas prices
2026-11-04 · Fox News
Liberal media downplays Alaska ballot scandal while decrying GOP 'pouncing'
2026-10-30 · Fox News
Bari Weiss faced 'significant resistance' from CBS News staffers about Alaska ballot scandal, insiders say
2026-10-29 · Fox News
DHS told '60 Minutes' weeks before segment aired that deported Malian national had once claimed to be gay
2026-10-29 · Fox News
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 37 articles by Joseph Wulfsohn →

Topics

CNN Democrats Fox News House Senate

Subjects

Fox News ORG · 5× House ORG · 4× Democrats NORP · 3× Senate ORG · 3× CNN ORG · 2× Emplifi ORG · 2× MS NOW ORG · 2× N.Y. GPE · 2× America GPE · 1× Fox News Channel ORG · 1×

Narrative

President Donald Trump also called in and spoke with Baier and MacCallum as he reacted to the midterm results. Democrats had a historic night, retaking both the House and Senate in what's been widely described as a blue tsunami.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-06
🔮 Meanwhile, it is unclear whether Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., will have enough votes in his caucus to reclaim the title as Senate Majority Leader, as several newly elected Democrats have previously said they won't back him.
2026-11-06 · Fox News
Fox News bests MS NOW, CNN as most-watched cable news network on 2026 midterm election night · mixed framing

Claims (14 extracted, 3 hedged)

Fox News Channel was America's most-watched cable news network on Tuesday night as the results of the 2026 midterm elections rolled in. asserted
results → watch → elections
According to the final Nielsen election night ratings data, Fox News bested both CNN and MS NOW with an average of 4.3 million total viewers during primetime. uncertain
News → accord → primetime
CNN came in second with 4.1 million total average viewers. asserted
CNN → come → viewers
MS NOW, marking the network's first major election night since its rebranding, came in third with 3.7 million total average viewers. asserted
NOW → mark → viewers
Fox News also thrived in the digital landscape on Election Night. asserted
News → thrive → Night
Fox News Digital had double-digit spikes in key metrics across the board during coverage of the midterms. asserted
Digital → have → midterms
Fox News also saw 3.3 million social media interactions across social media platforms, including Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok, according to Emplifi and Comscore Social. uncertain
News → see → Emplifi
Fox News also reached 15.4 million YouTube video views, per Emplifi. asserted
News → reach → Emplifi
"Fox News Democracy 26" was co-anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. asserted
Democracy → co → Baier
They were joined throughout the night by Dana Perino, Brit Hume, Harold Ford Jr., Bill Hemmer, Sandra Smith, Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity and other Fox News personalities. asserted
They → join → Perino
President Donald Trump also called in and spoke with Baier and MacCallum as he reacted to the midterm results. Democrats had a historic night, retaking both the House and Senate in what's been widely described as a blue tsunami. asserted
what → call → tsunami
While recapturing the House was expected, Democrats stunned with Senate pick-ups in states like South Carolina, Texas, Kansas and Iowa. asserted
Democrats → recapture → Carolina
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is poised to become the first Black Speaker of the House. asserted
Jeffries → poise → House
Meanwhile, it is unclear whether Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., will have enough votes in his caucus to reclaim the title as Senate Majority Leader, as several newly elected Democrats have previously said they won't back him. uncertain
they → have → him
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