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

Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier during a segment on FOX News Channel's "Democracy 2026: Election Night" at Fox News Channel Studios on November 03, 2026 in New York City. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

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Fox News Channel was America's most-watched cable news network on Tuesday night as the results of the 2026 midterm elections rolled in.

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.

CNN came in second with 4.1 million total average viewers. MS NOW, marking the network's first major election night since its rebranding, came in third with 3.7 million total average viewers.

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Harold Ford Jr., Dana Perino, Brit Hume, Martha MacCallum, Bret Baier, Laura Ingraham, Kayleigh McEnany and Robert Wolf during a segment on FOX News Channel's "Democracy 2026: Election Night" at Fox News Channel Studios on November 03, 2026, in New York City. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

Fox News also thrived in the digital landscape on Election Night. Fox News Digital had double-digit spikes in key metrics across the board during coverage of the 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. Fox News also reached 15.4 million YouTube video views, per Emplifi.

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"Fox News Democracy 26" was co-anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. 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.

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.

While recapturing the House was expected, Democrats stunned with Senate pick-ups in states like South Carolina, Texas, Kansas and Iowa.

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is poised to become the first Black Speaker of the 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.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is poised to become the next Speaker of the House. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Joseph A. Wulfsohn is a media reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to joseph.wulfsohn@fox.com and on Twitter: @JosephWulfsohn.