WHYY News Special Coverage: Live radio show featured developments on election night

What questions do you have about the 2024 elections? What major issues do you want candidates to address? Let us know.

As the polls closed on Tuesday, Nov. 5, WHYY News produced a live news program on 90.9 FM, putting local and national races in perspective, including the presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Tom MacDonald, WHYY News fill-in host and reporter, hosted the news special. WHYY News radio reporters presented real-time updates on the top of the presidential ticket. The program also featured insights into the Senate and Congressional races in New Jersey and Delaware.

The program brought real-time updates through the early hours of the voting tally, including an excerpt from Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s press conference in which he confirmed that a bomb threat had been made at a polling place in Philadelphia that led to the detention of an individual. No credible threats were made.

WHYY News New Jersey State House Reporter David Matthau reported from Democrat Andy Kim’s campaign headquarters as the Associated Press called the New Jersey Senate race for Kim.

Amanda Fitzpatrick, WHYY News reporter, provided highlights from the scene of Democratic Senator Bob Casey’s headquarters in Scranton, Pennsylvania while WESA Reporter Oliver Morrison and WGAL-TV Reporter Barbara Barr provided dispatches from Republican challenger David McCormick headquarters in Pittsburgh.

WHYY News Multiplatform Politics Reporter Carmen Russell-Sluchansky reported on whether disparaging words about Puerto Rico and Latinos at a Trump rally in New York City had an effect on voters in Reading, Pennsylvania, a majority Latino city in the Commonwealth.

“He’s talking about our ancestors, our families, our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles,” said Eva Clemente, a Democratic voter, who grew up in Puerto Rico. She is referring to comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s comments about Puerto Rico being a floating island of trash. “To me, it was very hurtful to hear him say that about our island.”

Misael Nieves, a Republican voter, said he was also offended, but still planned to vote for Trump.

“I do feel like his campaign party should have addressed it immediately,” he said. “It doesn’t take my focus off of the end game … to get our country back to where it needs to be financially, security and everything.”

WHYY News Senior Reporter Susan Phillips looked at how abortion access weighed on the minds of voters. She also discussed the contrast between Trump and Harris on environmental policy.

It was a historic night in Delaware as WHYY News Reporter Sarah Mueller chronicled the victorious atmosphere at Sarah McBride’s headquarters. McBride will be the first transgender person to serve in Congress.

A breakdown of who appeared on the live program

WHYY News featured nine staff reporters, two guest reporters from Pittsburgh and former city officials.

In order of appearance:

• Kenny Cooper, WHYY News
• Amanda Fitzpatrick, WHYY News
• Oliver Morrison, WESA Reporter
• David Matthau, WHYY News
• Cris Barrish, WHYY News
• Susan Philips, WHYY News
• Aaron Moselle, WHYY News
• Sam Katz, former Republican nominee for Philadelphia mayor
• Carmen Russell-Sluchansky, WHYY News
• Barbara Barr, WGAL-TV Reporter
• Emily Neil, WHYY News
• Sarah Mueller, WHYY News
• P. Kenneth Burns, WHYY News
• Bob Brady, Philadelphia Democratic Party chair

WHYY News Special Coverage of the 2024 Presidential Election was made possible by all involved in the studio and the field: Vice President of News Sarah Glover; Senior Managing Editor Mark Eichmann; Editorial Director Jamila Bey; host Tom MacDonald; politics reporter Carmen Russell-Sluchansky, producer/reporter P. Kenneth Burns, reporters Kenny Cooper, Amanda Fitzpatrick, David Matthau, Cris Barrish, Susan Philips, Aaron Moselle, Carmen Russell-Sluchansky, Emily Neil and Sarah Mueller; audio editor Alan Tu; and engineer Aldine Banks.