Nine key Illinois races to draw live TV coverage on election night

NBC 5 Chicago and Telemundo Chicago will air a coordinated election night special at 8 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The broadcast will cover nine specific Illinois contests, including the governor’s race and the open U.S. Senate seat. The special will be available on the NBC 5 Chicago News streaming channel, YouTube, and the NBCChicago.com website.

The local newsroom special will be anchored by political reporter Mary Ann Ahern. She will be joined by anchors Allison Rosati and Stefan Holt. The team will provide live field reports, real-time results, and interactive graphics. The coverage will also include expert analysis of the statewide and local races.

Reporters will deploy to specific locations to track the major campaigns. Alex Maragos and Santiago Gallego will report from the Navy Pier site for incumbent Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Jorge DeSantiago will report from Effingham, Ill., for Republican challenger Darren Bailey. Randy Gyllenhaal will cover the U.S. Senate race between Juliana Stratton and Don Tracy.

Three congressional districts will receive dedicated on-site coverage. Regina Waldroup will report on the 1st District race between Jonathan Jackson and Christian Maxwell. Priscilla Ferreyra will cover the 1st District contest in the 4th District involving Patty Garcia, Lupe Castillo, Chris Getty, and Ed Hershey. Patrick Fazio will report on the 8th District race between Melissa Bean and Jennifer Davis.

Telemundo Chicago will integrate this coverage into its regular newscasts. Political reporter Iris Berríos will provide results and analysis in Spanish. The station will also offer hourly updates during its national election coverage. Jorge DeSantiago and Priscilla Ferreyra will report for both the NBC 5 and Telemundo Chicago teams.

The broadcast will extend beyond the evening special. An afternoon newscast will run from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. with local Election Day coverage. NBC News national coverage will begin at 5:30 p.m. During the 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. primetime window, Rosati and Holt will deliver three-minute local updates. The 10 p.m. newscast will provide expanded local results and candidate reactions before national coverage resumes at 10:35 p.m.

Studio coverage will address specific policy areas. Chuck Goudie will focus on election integrity and public safety. Rose Schmidt will cover local referenda and the Flock camera issue. Iris Berríos will report on Latino voter participation. PJ Randhawa will discuss affordability and economic issues. Paris Schutz will cover data centers and school board races. Lexi Sutter will break down the balance of power in Congress using data from the NBC News Decision Desk.

Kevin Cross, President and General Manager of NBCUniversal Local Chicago, stated that the election will determine the next Illinois governor and the holder of the open Senate seat. He noted that congressional races could influence the balance of power in Washington. Cross said the network aims to connect race results to issues like affordability, public safety, and school futures.

Vince Lattanzio, News Director for NBC 5 Chicago, described election coverage as a core responsibility of the local news organization. He said viewers rely on journalists in both English and Spanish to explain how the election will affect their lives and communities.

Digital platforms will push alerts for breaking news and projected winners. The outlets will post candidate acceptance and concession speeches to social media channels on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. A live blog will track vote totals and voter experiences throughout the day and evening. Voter guides are available on the NBC Chicago and Telemundo Chicago websites before Election Day.