Fox News Disputes Own Election Results After Ohio Projection

Fox News was the setting for a bizarre series of events during 2012 Presidential Election coverage when the channel projected President Obama to win Ohio only to see pundit Karl Rove question the projection on-air.

What resulted was a few minutes of awkward confusion as Fox News sent anchor Megyn Kelly on a long walk around the studio — all on camera — to confirm with its election desk that it did in fact stand behind the Ohio projection. Adding to the tension was the fact that, with the call, Fox News had proclaimed President Obama the winner, The Huffington Post noted.

The confusion started when pundit anchor Chris Wallace noted that some Romney officials contested the projection that Obama had won:

“Well I have great respect for our decision desk, and I can see that they’re very happy in Chicago, but I have to tell you that the Romney camp has real doubts by the call that has been made by us and by other networks. They do not believe that Ohio is in the Obama camp. I just got an email from a top Romney person. I asked, ‘Do you agree with our call?’ He said ‘Not really. It’s less than 20 percent of the vote still out in GOP areas.’ “

Karl Rove then jumped in as well, saying it was too early to make such a call. During the entire exchange a banner reading “Barack Obama Re-Elected President” flashed on the screen underneath the anchors.

This sent Megyn Kelly on her walk throughout the studio to the Fox News election room where the experts there stood behind their call. One said he was 99,9 percent certain that Obama had been re-elected, and another noted that, “there just aren’t enough Republican votes left for Mitt Romney to get there.”

The Fox News Ohio argument ended there with Megyn Kelly declaring that the experts weren’t listening to Karl Rove.