Hillary Clinton’s margin in the popular vote against President-elect Donald Trump has surpassed 2 million, furthering the record for a candidate who lost in the Electoral College. Thanks to votes still being counted in California and other western areas, Clinton’s vote advantage hit the 2 million mark on Wednesday morning, according to Dave Wasserman of the Cook Political Report. As of mid-day Wednesday, Wasserman’s spread sheet had Clinton at 64,225,863 votes to Trump’s 62,210,612.
Donald Trump told the New York Times yesterday the same thing George W. Bush told anyone who would listen in 2000: He could’ve won the popular vote if he’d wanted to win the popular vote…
We had a great victory. I think it would have been easier because I see every once in awhile somebody says, ‘Well, the popular vote.’ Well, the popular vote would have been a lot easier, but it’s a whole different campaign. I would have been in California, I would have been in Texas, Florida and New York, and we wouldn’t have gone anywhere else. Which is, I mean I’d rather do the popular vote from the standpoint — I’d think we’d do actually as well or better… I think the popular vote would have been easier in a true sense because you’d go to a few places. I think that’s the genius of the Electoral College. I was never a fan of the Electoral College until now.
Sure, Donald. You could’ve won California—a state you lost by 30+ points—if you’d just had a few more rallies there.
Oy.
And saying Trump was no fan of the Electoral College until now is an understatement. Here’s what Trump tweeted out in 2012 when it looked like Obama might lose the popular vote to Romney but win the electoral college:
Don’t say I didn’t warn you. And here’s what Democrats can do about the Electoral College.