NBC’s Lester Holt: Campaign ‘felt like a powder keg with a fuse burning down’ to Election Day

“NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt on Monday told viewers that the presidential campaign “has often felt like a powder keg with a fuse burning down to Nov. 3,” adding that “democracy is messy” but needs to work “for our children.”

“At about this time tomorrow evening the first polls in the 2020 election will begin to close,” Holt said. “If that just gave you a knot in your stomach, it’s OK, me too.”

“Let’s face it, this campaign has often felt like a powder keg with a fuse burning down to Nov. 3, and it’s allowed our minds to sometimes drift into dark places about potential for violence and whether the outcome will be accepted,” he continued.

Holt ended his monologue by adding, “Democracy is messy, but we have got to let it work. If not for ourselves, then for our children, who you know are watching us.”

The comments from the veteran journalist come after a recent survey from OnePoll found that 55 percent of Americans believe Election Day will be the most stressful day of their lives.

The poll found that millennials and Generation X say they are the most-stressed about who will win the race for the White House.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden holds a 6.7-point national lead in the RealClearPolitics average of polls, including a more narrow lead of 2.3 points in the top battleground states.