The “big three” networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC were all live at 6:30 p.m. Eastern leading into their Election Night coverage and predictably, they were already giddy at scenes of Hillary supporters crying and the Clinton campaign’s election night event featuring a glass ceiling.
On ABC’s World News Tonight, Clinton campaign correspondent Cecilia Vega continued her streak of being obsessed with Clinton backers shredding tears at her final rally in Raleigh, North Carolina as they joined in chanting “I believe that we will win.”
“Some in tears, witnessing the moment. Today in Chappaqua, one last promise to voters,” Vega gushed followed by a soundbite of Clinton promising that she’ll “do the very best I can, if I'm fortunate enough to win today.”
“And then, both Clintons riding off to prepare for another election night,” Vega added.
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Later in the newscast, Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts marveled to anchor David Muir at the Clinton campaign’s choice of venue having a glass ceiling in hopes Clinton symbolically shattering the glass ceiling to become the first female president:
David, you can't help but notice the glass ceiling here at the Javits Center. Remember, the DNC, when Hillary Clinton was officially nominated, they used special effects to illustrate the shattering of the glass ceiling. Now, we hear that she has two speeches prepared, just in case, like everyone, the Clinton campaign is aware of how close this election is[.]
Summing up the Clinton campaign in one of her final reports about the Clinton campaign before the results for the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley, Clinton correspondent Nancy Cordes lamented that Clinton and her campaign have felt as though the campaign “was sometimes as painful as it was for the rest of America to watch it” because “[s]he was dogged by her e-mail troubles, a restless electorate, and an unorthodox opponent.”
“Her aides say at the very least, her perseverance through all of it, Scott, shows she's prepared for the nation's toughest job,” Cordes reported.
Meanwhile on NBC Nightly News, former anchor Tom Brokaw already began discussing the likelihood of it being “a transformational election”:
Well, I really think, Lester, this is a transformational election. If Hillary Clinton wins, we will have had two terms of an African-American President and now a woman in the White House and they have depended on those growing constituencies of the Hispanics, larger African-American robust voters, and then young people and women. If Donald Trump wins as a Republican, what happens to the rest of the Republican Party? If he loses, does the Republican Party then become a smaller, mostly white place that doesn't quite know where it wants to go and how it wants to get there. But whoever wins, as you say, you got to put the country back together again and that means a lot of high temperatures have to be lowered in the next year at least.
The relevant portions of the transcript from ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir on November 8 can be found below.
ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir
November 8, 2016
6:34 p.m. Eastern
CROWD AT RALEIGH, NC HILLARY CLINTON RALLY: I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win!
CECILIA VEGA: Some in tears, witnessing the moment. Today in Chappaqua, one last promise to voters.
HILLARY CLINTON: I'll do the very best I can, if I'm fortunate enough to win today.
VEGA: And then, both Clintons riding off to prepare for another election night.
(....)
6:47 p.m. Eastern
MUIR: And Robin, of course, the big question, will she be able to say she broke through that glass ceiling?
ROBIN ROBERTS: And David, you can't help but notice the glass ceiling here at the Javits Center. Remember, the DNC, when Hillary Clinton was officially nominated, they used special effects to illustrate the shattering of the glass ceiling. Now, we hear that she has two speeches prepared, just in case, like everyone, the Clinton campaign is aware of how close this election is, and as you mentioned, also close, Trump's headquarters, just a few blocks from here.
The relevant portion of the transcript from the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley on November 8 can be found below.
CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley
November 8, 2016
6:33 p.m. EasternNANCY CORDES: For Clinton and her team, running this race was sometimes as painful as it was for the rest of America to watch it. She was dogged by her e-mail troubles, a restless electorate, and an unorthodox opponent. Her aides say at the very least, her perseverance through all of it, Scott, shows she's prepared for the nation's toughest job.
