Who won the popular vote in 2020, 2016 and other recent presidential elections? See past results
The popular vote does not officially determine the winner of presidential elections, but it does offer a look at who individual voters prefer in the White House.
The Electoral College is the final determiner of who becomes the U.S. president with its 538 total votes, which are allotted to states based on the number of members they have in the House of Representatives plus their two senators. Electors cast their ballots for the candidate that won the popular vote in their state, and whichever candidate receives 270 votes wins.
The popular vote on the other hand is based on the number or percentage of votes cast for a candidate by voters in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The candidate that gets the most votes nationwide wins the popular vote.
Here are recent elections' popular vote winners, and the outcome of those races.
Who won the popular vote in 2020?
President Joe Biden won the popular vote when he ran against Donald Trump in 2020.
Biden would go on to defeat Trump 306-232 in the Electoral College, and he had a 4-point margin in the popular vote, according to the Pew Research Center.
Biden's win came as voter turnout rose 7% over 2016, resulting in a total of 66% of U.S. adult citizens casting a ballot in the 2020 election, the Washington, D.C.-headquartered center said. Biden's popular vote differential was also better than fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton's 2016 two-point advantage, according to the fact tank.
Who won the popular vote in 2016?
Although Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016 by nearly 2.9 million, Donald Trump won the Electoral College after receiving 304 votes compared to the former U.S. Secretary of State's 227 votes, ABC News reported.
Clinton became the fifth presidential candidate in history to win the popular vote and lose the Electoral College. She joined a list comprised of Al Gore (defeated by George W. Bush in 2000), Grover Cleveland (defeated by Benjamin Harrison in 1888), Samuel J. Tilden (defeated by Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876) and Andrew Jackson (defeated by John Quincy Adams in 1824), according to Britannica.
Who won the popular vote in 2008 and 2012?
Former president Barack Obama won the popular vote when he was elected in 2008 and 2012. He defeated the late U.S. Sen. John McCain in 2008 and current Republican U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney in 2012.
In 2008, Obama received 52.9% of the popular vote and 365 of the 538 electoral votes. In 2012, he accrued 51.1% of the popular vote and 332 electoral votes, according to the American Presidency Project.
Who won the popular vote in 2004?
George W. Bush lost the popular vote in 2000, but he won it when he ran for reelection in 2004.
Bush defeated Democratic Sen. John Kerry after accruing 50.7% of the popular vote and 286 electoral votes, the American Presidency Project says.
Who won the popular vote in 2000?
Al Gore won the popular vote in 2000 after receiving 48.4%, but he lost the election to George W. Bush when he only gained 266 electoral votes, according to the American Presidency Project. Votes for minor party candidates prevented the two major parties from receiving a majority of the popular vote.
The presidency was officially decided by the Supreme Court on Dec. 12, 2000, in the Bush v. Gore decision. The Court reversed an order by the Florida Supreme Court for a selective manual recount of that state’s U.S. presidential election ballots, thus awarding its 25 Electoral College votes to Bush. This decision gave Bush a total of 271 electoral votes.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Election popular vote results in 2020 and other recent presidential races