Let’s hope Dave Wasserman is already asleep tonight. As editor and election analyst of the Cook Political Report — an independent, nonpartisan news outlet — and a key figure on the NBC News decision desk, he likes election night to be relaxing.

Wasserman, 40, is known on social media for his catchphrase “I’ve seen enough,” uttered when he’s ready to unofficially host a race. His attention to the demographic details of different districts and counties across the country means he often detects trends in the electorate long before anyone else. In September 2016, this meant draft a potential Donald Trump victory in the Electoral College despite a defeat in the popular vote, just under two months before this result actually materialized.

As he prepares for this year’s party, Wasserman says Vanity Fair that he lets utility guide his outfit choices on election night, but a Friday appearance on C-SPAN It was the perfect time to telegraph his final prediction for Tuesday via the color of his tie.

“It was a pink tie,” he said. “I’ll let viewers draw their own conclusions.”

Rose, like “leaning R” on the CPR maps? Pink, as in J.D. VanceIs the debate pointless? Rose, like all the women who vote for Kamala Harris? Pink, as in completely inconclusive?

Vanity Fair: Remember the time when “I’ve seen enough” became your catchphrase? This really explains how experts use data as it comes in.

Dave Wasserman: So I meant it literally: I had seen enough to judge that a certain candidate had won. I might have used it first to Scott Brown when he won a special election for Ted Kennedy’s open Senate seat, but I’m not exactly sure. He took his own life. When people started asking me, “Well, have you seen enough in this race or that race,” then I indulged enough that it became a catchphrase.

My goal was to take some of the false suspense out of election night. Now, I don’t blame media organizations for deliberately reporting the results on big election nights. I’m on the decision-making team for a major network, but the reality is that most of the time the outcome of an election is clear based on partial data before each network has declared its winner. My goal was to communicate the result a little earlier with a high level of confidence.

What is your election day routine?

In some ways, this is the most disappointing day because we don’t have any new polls to look at. So I try to get as much sleep as possible the night before Election Day. I unplug for at least a few hours a day and hop on the treadmill or bike at the hotel gym. I’ve worked for the NBC News decision desk every major election night since 2008, so a good part of the day is spent looking at our models, looking at our data from previous elections for us ensure we can respond as quickly as possible when we start. obtain real data.