Kaitlan Collins brought a Mariah Carey meme reference into CNN’s coverage of the New Hampshire Senate race, leaving fellow presenters Jake Tapper and Dana Bash appearing unsure of the joke.
During election night coverage, Collins compared John Sununu’s campaign to regain his former Senate seat with Carey’s much-discussed 2003 interview in which she said she did not know Jennifer Lopez.
Sununu, a former New Hampshire senator, had sought to distance himself from Donald Trump through a series of adverts claiming he did not know the president particularly well. Collins said the strategy reminded her of Carey’s comment.
Tapper and Bash did not appear to understand the reference, although Anderson Cooper picked up on it and said he hoped it would not be the last mention of Mariah Carey during the night.
Chris Pappas went on to defeat Sununu decisively, leaving the former senator’s hopes of returning to the chamber unrealised.
The result came as Democrats made significant gains in the House and Senate and retook control of Congress, while also winning several gubernatorial races.
