John Heilemann on the anatomy of a neck-and-neck presidential race

Countdown 2024 from KNX News

57 days and counting. With 57 days till election day COUNTDOWN 2024 is aimed at giving you the info you'll need to make smart decisions on national, state and local elections.

We start with today's top political stories -- today, there is a pair of new polls- and they both foreshadow a very tight election.

Whether you're pulling for Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, there are reasons to be both enthusiastic and worried within the last 24 hours.

The New York Times and Sienna College poll shows that not only is Donald Trump holding onto his infamously loyal base ... but he might actually be growing his appeal to voters. Trump leads Kamala Harris by just one point ... 48 to 47.

The biggest takeaway from the Times poll seems to be that there is still a sizable share of voters who don't know much about Kamala Harris.

If you're a Harris fan, you don't have to look far for some comfort. A new ABC-Ipsos poll shows the Vice President leading Trump nationally by six points among likely voters.

Our guests on today's Countdown 2024:

-John Heilemann is one of the most seasoned political correspondents in the country right now. He's a national political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC ... and chief political columnist for Puck News. You might recognize him from his years hosting the acclaimed political show "The Circus" on Showtime.

-Molly Ball, the Wall Street Journal's senior political correspondent; she's also hosting a brand new podcast from the Journal called "Red, White ... and WHO?" ... with new episodes coming out every Friday.