Donald Trumpthe twice impeached former president, will once again sit at the nation’s helm, having secured 270 electoral votes to win the presidential election per Associated Press projections as of Wednesday morning.
While he earned more electoral votes than his opponent Vice President Kamala Harris, the result of the popular vote is yet to be seen.
The popular vote doesn’t determine who wins a presidential election — the deciding factor comes down to electoral votes, which are allotted to states based on the number of Congressional Districts they have plus their two senators.
However, the popular vote gives a better indication of who individual voters preferred.
Here’s a look at who’s won it in recent elections.
Who won the popular vote in the 2020 election?
President Joe Biden won the popular vote by a roughly 4% margin when he ran against Donald Trump in 2020.
According to data from the Federal Election CommissionBiden earned more than 81 million popular votes, while Trump earned around 74 million.
Biden defeated Trump 306-232 in the Electoral College.
Who won the popular vote in the 2016 election?
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in the 2016 election, despite losing the Electoral College to Donald Trump.
According to data from the Federal Election CommissionClinton won nearly 66 million popular votes, while Trump earned nearly 63 million, a margin of about 2%.
Trump defeated Clinton 304-227 in the Electoral College.
Who won the popular vote in Vermont in recent elections?
Although Vice President Kamala Harris was already declared the winner in Vermont, the popular vote total for the 2024 presidential election hasn’t been finalized yet.
Currently, with about 99% of votes counted, Harris has earned more than 230,000 votes in Vermont, while President-elect Donald Trump has earned more than 119,000 votes, according to the Associated Press.
In 2020, President Joe Biden won the popular vote in Vermont with more than 240,000 individual votes, while Trump won more than 110,000, according to FEC data.
Four years before that, in 2016, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earned the popular vote with about 178,000 votes in Vermont, while Trump earned about 95,000, per FEC data.
When will we know the popular vote results in the 2024 election?
The total popular vote count won’t be finalized until after all the ballots are tabulated. As of Wednesday morning, several states are still finishing their counts. For example, California, which is the most populous state in the country, is only at 54% of their votes counted as of 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
Election officials in each state now begin the process of certifying the voting resultswhich in most states must be done by mid-December.
As of Wednesday morning, President-elect Donald Trump has earned more than 71 million popular votes, while Vice President Kamala Harris has earned more than 66 million, according to Associated Press projections.
