Fox News host reacts after he’s caught on hot mic asking if network can ‘do a spin on the races’ amid election results

Key Points

• Fox News journalist Bret Baier was caught on a hot mic asking if the network could "spin on the races" during midterm election results.

• The broadcaster was heard posing the question before cutting himself off.

• Baier appeared to realize the mistake in the moment, stating, "I guess we're on TV now," and later explained what he meant in a series of social media posts.

Conservative Fox News host Bret Baier was caught on a hot mic asking if the network could "do a spin on the races" during his live coverage of the 2026 midterm election results.

While Baier and cohost Martha MacCallum covered the voting results live on Tuesday night, the former attempted to segue away from reporter Garrett Tenney's coverage of the Michigan Senate race, which saw Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed triumph over his Republican competitor Mike Rogers as part of what many are labeling a historic "blue tsunami" for left-leaning politics in America.

"Okay, can we do a spin on the races that…" Baier said after Tenney finished speaking, cutting himself off after appearing to realize his mistake.

Baier continued, joking, "Oh, I'm sorry, Garrett. I guess we're on TV now. Thank you so much."

The host added another quip, joking to MacCallum and viewers that "that's what happens at 11:24" in the evening.

In footage viewed by Entertainment Weekly earlier in the evening, Baier referred to cutting to a shot of the network's election results board as doing a "spin."

However, after Baier was criticized online over his remarks, the broadcaster attempted to clarify what he meant when he used the word "spin" in the moment.

"That was to Bill Hemmer," Baier said in a follow-up X post (above). "A spin on the board with Bill to see the various races that were outstanding. Thanks."

When one user asked what a "spin on the board" means, Baier replied with a further explanation at 2:59 a.m. local time.

"It means a spin on the board that Bill Hemmer controls looking at different states that had votes coming in," Baier clarified. "Means show Michigan - Maine - Iowa The states that are remaining at that time."

Another user asked why Baier was up so late covering the election results, with the longtime on-air personality telling the viewer that it "takes awhile to wind down" after such a momentous day of coverage.

Entertainment Weekly has reached out to Fox News representatives for comment on Baier's on-air remarks.

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As Tuesday's midterm election results poured in overnight, many analysts pointed to Americans' votes signaling a turning point in United States politics. Traditionally red state Texas elected its first Democratic Senate candidate (James Talarico) in nearly four decades, while Democrats flipped control of the House and Senate, with Democrats flipping additional Senate seats in Ohio, Iowa, South Carolina, Maine, North Carolina, and Kansas.

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