“Really, in my heart I feel 50-50,” says MSNBC host Chris Hayes “and at the most basic emotional and psychological level, this is the best way to go into it.”

The historically close race between Kamala Harris And Donald Trump has anchors, like Hayes, who accept the uncertainty of election night and the possibility that, like 2020, the election might not be called for several days while results are still being counted. It’s a guiding philosophy I’ve heard similarly from competitors at CNN, anchors at NBC, and from fellow MSNBC hosts Stephanie Ruhle, Ari Melber, And Alex Wagner, who emphasized the need for “patience” and “being aware of how we think about this extraordinary moment we find ourselves in.”

In addition to discussing MSNBC’s primetime coverage, which kicks off Tuesday at 6 p.m., I spoke more broadly with the four hosts about this momentous period in American politics, the mix of exhaustion and motivation among voters, and the threat that Trump would disrupt the election. democratic process. Trump “tried to steal an election,” Melber notes, “and is openly talking about stealing it.”

This interview has been lightly edited for style and clarity.

Vanity Scholarship: Where is the race generally? Clearly, there has been an intense news cycle in recent weeks about both campaigns’ media blitzes. I’m wondering if you want to know if you think anything that has happened or could happen will move the needle at this point.

Chris Hayes: I do think the MSG rally, and I think the specific joke “Puerto Rico is a floating island of trash” breaks through. No one knows what will break through and what won’t. We all operate in this strange universe where the competition for attention is so fierce that it’s very difficult to tell what people are getting and what they’re not getting. But that clearly worked.

Stephanie Ruhle: I think the needle has moved this week. Even if you looked at Kamala Harris, her closing remarks at the Ellipse were super strong from a technical policy perspective, but also from an overarching sense of unity. I do think it has moved the needle for a lot of people in that (business) space who don’t necessarily raise their hands and say, ‘I’m with her,’ but they know the threat of tariffs and it will be. (Donald) Trump picks winners and losers. This was definitely a positive week for her…. There has been a lot of disappointment that more business leaders haven’t come forward and said something about Trump and comments likened to fascism. If Kamala Harris wins this election and Trump doesn’t accept the outcome, I think we’ll see a lot of prominent people who have been silent come forward and say, “Enough is enough, we have to respect the outcome of this. election.”