Beckel was the campaign manager for Walter Mondale’s Presidential run, but when that failed, he joined Fox News as a political analyst and the only liberal featured on the conservative network. He later became the co-host of Fox talk show, The Five, but was fired following back surgery. He would hop on the campaign trail again in 2002 working for Idaho’s democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Alan Blinken. However, he resigned after getting wrapped up in an extortion plot involving a sex worker.