Fox News celebrated the Senate primary win of former Fox News contributor Scott Brown by offering him over four minutes of free air time to attack his Democratic opponent and promote his campaign without disclosing his previous affiliation with the network.

Brown clinched the Republican nomination for New Hampshire's Senate seat on September 9 and will now face Democratic incumbent Jeanne Shaheen in the general election. He previously served as a senator for Massachusetts before losing to Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2012, and he was hired by Fox News in 2013.

On the September 10 edition of Fox & Friends, co-host Brian Kilmeade told Brown “I wasn't surprised that you won” and lobbed a series of softball questions at him that underlined how Brown had beaten expectations and pushed a message that “resonated” with voters. Kilmeade also vouched for Brown's work ethic, saying “I know when it comes to the endurance, no one is going to outwork you.” At the end of the segment, Fox gave Brown a platform to plug his campaign website:

BROWN: People can go to ScottBrown.com. Let's go make Harry Reid the minority leader. Need your help. Thank you.

During Brown's last run for the Senate, the network gave his campaign fawning coverage and repeatedly offered him a platform to promote his views and directed viewers to his website for information on “how to help with donating and volunteering.” Fox News contributors pleaded with viewers go online to “help elect” him and pushed arguments like “your 401(k) could do well” if Brown won. Fox hosts even played with a Scott Brown action figure during one segment.

Brown then spent over a year building his profile as a paid Fox contributor, during which time he attacked Shaheen and Senate Democrats over health care and burnished his New Hampshire bona fides after moving there. While Brown was employed at the network, Fox hosts repeatedly asked Brown if he planned to run again and even called it a “terrific” idea. Brown has said that working at Fox “really charged me up to” run for office again.

The network continued to help Brown during his New Hampshire primary. In August, the network aired an anti-Obamacare documentary tailor-made to boost Brown's campaign. Former Sen. Bob Smith, one of Brown's Republican primary opponents, criticized Fox's pro-Brown coverage as “shoddy” and “not fair and balanced.”

Other former Fox News employees have benefited from favorable treatment during their runs for office. For instance, Rick Santorum said during his presidential campaign that his former job with Fox had “been big” and “helped folks remember who I am. ... It's a great platform, being able to talk about the current issues of the day.”