Screen-grab MSNBC
The March 13 special election in Pennsylvania’s 18th congressional district ended in victory for a handsome Democrat in a dramatic squeaker that kept political nerds up late watching the especially energetic election coverage by Steve Kornacki on MSNBC. Hopefully, the election is a harbinger of the November congressional elections; the results mattered and Kornacki’s insane energy added to the drama of the night.
With papers and pens in his mouth, breathlessly reporting the numbers as they came in, at one point, he put his pen in his mouth to pull out his phone, and, when he couldn’t talk clearly with a pen in his mouth, he just spit it out.
At 4 am, hours after the winner had claimed victory, when it seemed Kornacki was running the country; he tweeted:
”Obviously, I forgive any and all who’ve gone off to sleep. But those that are somehow hanging in there with me, I love you.”
A year ago, Kornacki was named National Political correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC. Before, he was the adorable host of the Monday edition of Meet The Press Daily, and the deliciously titled Up With Steve Kornacki, on Saturdays and Sunday early mornings.
He’s just one of a growing group of openly gay new anchors and reporters. Just a decade ago, it wouldn’t have seemed possibly to be a major media figure and be out of the closet. Today we have: CNN Business anchor Richard Quest; Robin Roberts of Good Morning, America; MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts; ABC’s Dan Kloeffler; managing editor of Fox News’ Breaking News Division, Shepard Smith; Ari Shapiro of NPR; LZ Granderson of ESPN, NBC Justice correspondent Pete Williams; plus, the Holy Trinity of Rachel Maddow, Don Lemon, and Anderson Cooper.
Screen-grab MSNBC
Kornacki is a gay political geek who loves sports. He is maybe not as hunky as Roberts or as beautiful and daring as Cooper, but he is exactly the sort of nice, handsome, clean-cut nerd that makes my heart flutter.
Kornacki:
”Most people used to be exposed to only a select cross-section of gay people. But, the atmosphere has changed so much, and so quickly.”
In 2011, just as his career was really taking off, Kornacki fell hard for a guy, but wasn’t ready to tell the world. He wrote a coming out piece for Salon to tell all. It was also as an audacious attempt to salvage a romance that was falling apart from the burden of a life in the closet. He came out to his parents first, by giving them a copy of the article before it went live online.
At 6′ 2”, with perfect skin and perfect teeth, and just that perfect dash of wonkiness, I think Kornacki is a real dreamboat.
