# Here's why Hillary won the popular vote. **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 15, 2016, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764 "2016-12-15T12:31:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/1 "2016-12-15T12:31:17Z")
Because she went after it and Trump didn’t. From [The Wrap:](http://www.thewrap.com/hillary-clinton-spent-on-states-trump-popular-vote/) > [@](#): > > Politico’s Edward-Isaac Dovere published a lengthy piece on Wednesday titled, “How Clinton lost Michigan – and blew the election,” that details how the Clinton campaign ignored the crucial battleground state of Michigan and focused on states that didn’t have a chance of impacting the Electoral College over fears that Trump would win the popular vote while losing the electoral vote — the very opposite of the scenario that played out in November. Dumbest election strategy in history but at least she can console herself with her popular vote while Trump prepares for the Presidency. ---
**Author:** ![jshore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@jshore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jshore)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/2 "2016-12-16T01:51:16Z")
So. let me get this straight…You are trying to claim that dumping $5 million into Chicago and New Orleans netted here 2.8 millions votes!!! ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/3 "2016-12-16T01:52:16Z")
Chicago has a lot of dead voters… ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/4 "2016-12-16T02:02:54Z")
I can actually see this happening. Hillary and her team were pretty confident she would win the electoral vote. Even ignoring who was running against who, experts on BOTH sides seemed to agree that electoral vote wise, the dems were at a serious advantage…blue wall and all that jazz…The throw in it is the hyper qualified Clinton dynasty FIRST WOMAN got more campain money and connections than god running against the orange buffoon…well, everybody just knew she had it in the bag…and her and her team bought it. So, given said overconfidence…well, given the ego involved…she needs the win the popular vote too! Trumps team on the other hand, focused on doing everything to win (Trump himself maybe not so much given his behavior). And that meant worrying about the electoral votes. They never considered anything in the bag. And I doubt they gave a rat’s ass about “popular vote”. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/5 "2016-12-16T02:29:27Z")
She may have done that, but that’s not why she won the popular vote. She won it because she’s more popular. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/6 "2016-12-16T14:08:20Z")
It’s not like Clinton was alone in ignoring Nate Silver. Democrats were convinced they had a Blue Wall and that Trump could not penetrate it. But there was a chance he could win the popular vote, so the Clinton team concentrated on making sure that didn’t happen. And they succeeded. I don’t think the Clinton team was dumb, so much as they were were the greatest team possible for fighting the 2012 election. Probably even better than Obama’s 2012 team in that respect. They invested tons doing all the things you’re supposed to do to beat Mitt Romney. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/7 "2016-12-16T16:11:35Z")
Acne medicine doesn’t help much against smallpox. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/8 "2016-12-28T04:55:29Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > She may have done that, but that’s not why she won the popular vote. She won it because she’s more popular. Yeah, I have to agree. I mean, she was widely hated, but less unpopular _is_ more popular. Too bad that “Neither” was even more popular yet. Low turnout is bad for Democrats. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/9 "2016-12-28T05:06:33Z")
Assuming this is true, that is disappointing. But Hillary won the popular vote because of demographics. I think the last 7 presidential elections, the GOP candidate has only won the majority of the vote once (2004). ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/10 "2016-12-28T05:23:56Z")
Yeah her strategy was foolish but it was not the main reason she won the popular vote. There was a surge of Democrats voting in states like California and Texas led by Hispanics. The “emerging democratic majority” emerged, just not in places where it made much difference. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/11 "2016-12-28T05:32:43Z")
Given that the board is about fighting ignorance, I feel compelled to point out that no one ‘wins’ the popular vote. There is no such contest. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/12 "2016-12-28T05:40:24Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > Because she went after it and Trump didn’t. From [The Wrap:](http://www.thewrap.com/hillary-clinton-spent-on-states-trump-popular-vote/) > > Dumbest election strategy in history but at least she can console herself with her popular vote while Trump prepares for the Presidency. She likely would have won if not for Comey bringing the FBI into it. Cite: [http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/309871-nate-silver-clinton-almost-certainly-wouldve-won-if-election-were-before](http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/309871-nate-silver-clinton-almost-certainly-wouldve-won-if-election-were-before) She had a good strategy, she just didn’t expect the FBI head to drop a partisan bomb with 11 days to go. If you and I are playing chess, and your cousin punches me in the head before I checkmate you, causing me to run out the game clock and lose, that doesn’t mean I have a stupid strategy. I just didn’t think your cousin was gonna weigh in. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/13 "2016-12-28T05:43:33Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Given that the board is about fighting ignorance, I feel compelled to point out that no one ‘wins’ the popular vote. There is no such contest. You’ve won the, “unconvincing pedantic foofaroo” award. Wait, is there such a thing?!? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/14 "2016-12-28T05:44:42Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Given that the board is about fighting ignorance, I feel compelled to point out that no one ‘wins’ the popular vote. There is no such contest. You need to inform your pal, the Orange Peril, of that particular world-view, since the reality seems to be upsetting him. At 12:30 PM on 27 November 2016 he tweeted yet another lying tweet: “In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally”. [Cite](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/27/donald-trump-scam-recount-jill-stein-hillary-clinton). ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/15 "2016-12-28T06:01:57Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > She likely would have won if not for Comey bringing the FBI into it. > > Cite: [http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/309871-nate-silver-clinton-almost-certainly-wouldve-won-if-election-were-before](http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/309871-nate-silver-clinton-almost-certainly-wouldve-won-if-election-were-before) > > She had a good strategy, she just didn’t expect the FBI head to drop a partisan bomb with 11 days to go. > > If you and I are playing chess, and your cousin punches me in the head before I checkmate you, causing me to run out the game clock and lose, that doesn’t mean I have a stupid strategy. I just didn’t think your cousin was gonna weigh in. That’s not a cite; that’s a guess. A guess by someone who guessed wrong the entire campaign. _Post hoc ergo propter hoc_ is a fallacy. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/16 "2016-12-28T06:11:00Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > You need to inform your pal, the Orange Peril, of that particular world-view, since the reality seems to be upsetting him. At 12:30 PM on 27 November 2016 he tweeted yet another lying tweet: “In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally”. [Cite](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/27/donald-trump-scam-recount-jill-stein-hillary-clinton). Does what Trump said change anything? Does a popular vote contest now exist because Trump said that? In other words, has anything changed factually because of what Trump said? If not, then I don’t see where you have a point. ---
**Author:** ![thicknick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed655f/32.png) [@thicknick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thicknick)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/17 "2016-12-28T06:22:40Z")
I don’t care if she did or didn’t win the popular vote. Judging by her actions after her lose, her terrible behavior and inability to accept defeat with respect and dignity I would imagine her popularity is not what it once was. Her group of haters whether involved of not you’d think she’d shut them down. Doesn’t she realize how low they make her appear. Bad publicity is not always good publicity. Sometimes it’s better to let it die. How long can you beat a dead horse before you accept it is what it is. You gave it a shot and you lost, own it. Until then you appear as a sore loser and a pathetic one at that. Step back have another drink if necessary and move on. With dignity what’s left of it…:smack::eek:::mad: ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/18 "2016-12-28T07:33:53Z")
> [@thicknick](#): > > . . . her terrible behavior and inability to accept defeat with respect and dignity . . . Bullhooey. She made a dignified concession call to Trump, a dignified concession statement to the press, and a respectful speech to her supporters acknowledging defeat. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/19 "2016-12-28T13:11:58Z")
> [@thicknick](#): > > …Judging by her actions after her lose, her terrible behavior and inability to accept defeat with respect and dignity I would imagine her popularity is not what it once was. … This is Republican strategy 101. “Say whatever you want about Hillary Clinton, reality be damned.” ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764/20 "2016-12-28T13:57:12Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > She may have done that, but that’s not why she won the popular vote. She won it because she’s more popular. If by ‘more popular’ you mean ‘less unpopular’ then that’s true; a survey aimed at finding out how many people actually voted for Clinton because they thought she was a good candidate with good policies and values versus how many voted for her because they really, really can’t stand Trump would certainly be interesting. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heres-why-hillary-won-the-popular-vote/774764.md?page=2)