The Journalists (and Commentators) to Watch Election Night

Some stick to a single network on election night, but I'm a compulsive channel-surfer, always looking for the most cogent reporting and analysis, and itching to see who will call the races first. So while I'm not loyal to any one network, these are the journalists I'll be watching Tuesday, the top of the heap when it comes to political reporting and commentary.

John King/Photo by Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images

John King, CNN: Quite simply one of the best - if not the best - political journalist on TV. A reporter's reporter, King got his start in print (another alum of the Boston AP bureau) and has made a name for himself at CNN as the guy who has sources everywhere, especially in the Beltway. Armed with his encyclopaedic knowledge of politics and his gee-whiz computerized election map, King will be a force to be reckoned with Tuesday night. Watch for him to be among the first to call races state-by-state.

But King's not the only one worth watching on CNN. The network's panel of commentators, led by the excellent David Gergen, offers intelligent analysis from both sides of the political aisle, without devolving into ideological shouting matches.

George Stephanopoulos/Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images

George Stephanopoulos, ABC: Whip-smart, hyper-articulate and a seasoned political pro, George Stephanopoulos has worked in the White House, knows the players and is the ultimate insider. Yet he still manages to serve up insightful political commentary in terms anyone can understand. I feel smarter just watching him.

Chris Matthews/Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images

Chris Matthews, MSNBC: MSNBC has taken a lot of flak from the right this year for being the lefty alternative to Fox News, but Chris Matthews stands apart as a political junkie whose passion for his work is infectious. Matthews brings an interesting combination of toughness and vulnerability to his reporting; he's willing to gush when he's impressed by a pol, yet he can be a pit bull of an interviewer when he senses someone doesn't know their stuff.

Rachel Maddow, MSNBC: Rachel Maddow is young, hip, smart and, in a world of aging white male political analysts, a breath of fresh air. If this turns out to be the year when young people finally got turned on to politics, Maddow is the kind of commentator we need to see more. A lot more.

Tucker Carlson/Photo by Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images

Tucker Carlson, MSNBC: To be honest, I'm not even sure if we'll see Tucker Carlson on election night. After his show was cancelled he all-but disappeared from MSNBC from what I can tell, and that's too bad. A bow-tied, preppy conservative in the mold of William F. Buckley, Carlson brought a cutting wit to political discourse. And when can we not use more wit in the world, and especially in politics?

Brit Hume/Photo by Peter Kramer/Getty Images

Brit Hume, Fox News: Brit Hume is retiring, saying he's tired of all the partisan rancor in politics, so this is likely the last election we'll see him cover. After years at ABC News he joined Fox, and while that network gained notoriety for its pit-bull punditry, Hume was always a reporter first, and a voice of reasoned conservatism amid the shouting matches. With his sonorous baritone and detached reporting style, Hume never generated heat like his colleagues O'Reilly or Hannity. Instead, he shed light. He will be missed.