Trump set to be the first Republican candidate to win the popular vote in 20 years
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President-elect Trump is on his way to be the first Republican presidential candidate in 20 years to win the popular vote.
Why it matters: Trump was elected in key battleground states this cycle, easing his trajectory to 270 electoral votes and cementing his popular victory.
Context: In 2016, Trump lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by about 2.9 million votes but won in the Electoral College.
- Trump's nearly 72 million votes this year, counted as of Wednesday afternoon, fall nearly 10 million behind President Biden's 2020 popular vote.
Flashback: In 2004, former President and then-incumbent George W. Bush was the first Republican presidential candidate to win the popular vote since 1988.
- Bush won the popular vote by more than 3 million votes over John Kerry, his Democratic opponent.
- He had lost the popular vote in 2000 against Al Gore but won the Electoral College.
Go deeper: How long it took each state to be called for Trump or Harris
Editor's note: This story was corrected to reflect Trump's votes fell nearly 10 million (not 1 million) short of Biden's 2020 popular vote.
