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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsQuestion about the Electoral College...
I know that Bush younger was the last (before Trump) President to lose the popular vote, but "win" in the Electoral College.
Has there been any Democrats who lost the popular vote, but "won" the Electoral College?
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)The Constitution provides that states shall determine their method of selecting electors. That hasnt always been by popular vote.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Electoral_College#History
Since the mid-19th century when all electors have been popularly chosen, the Electoral College has elected the candidate who received the most popular votes nationwide, except in four elections: 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016.
NYC Liberal
(20,132 posts)But because he didnt win a majority of them, the election was decided in the House, which elected John Quincy Adams.
He also won the most popular votes although those represented less than 5% of the population.
So, technically, Jackson got screwed over the most: won the popular and electoral votes and still lost.
Igel
(35,197 posts)Cleveland was (D) and won in 1888 because (D) disenfranchised blacks that supported Harrison, some say. When you go back that far, meanings and associations change and it's a lie to say something true given the old meanings (that you know have changed) but false given the new meanings.
It's a standard rhetorical trope, where winning is more important than honesty or truth, where giving a very partial and one-sided view is considered far "because the other guy had a chance to speak." So if he does a bad job, it excuses the intellectual dishonesty and falseness of the other side. (Such are debating teams. And political campaigns. In those, winning makes right and makes power.)
That said, it's still a case of very small numbers, in which every instance is too different to allow easy generalizations.