Just How Close Was the 2024 Presidential Election?

Electoral Votes *
312 Trump
226 Harris
-----
*270 needed to win

Popular Vote
77,302,580 Trump
75,017,613 Harris

% of the Popular Vote
49.8% Trump
48.3% Harris

Pennsylvania
3,543,308 ... 50.37% Trump
3,423,042 ... 48.66% Harris
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120,266 - a flip of 60,134 votes gives Harris the state's 19 electoral votes

Michigan
2,816,636 ... 49.73% Trump
2,736,533 ... 48.31% Harris
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70,103 - a flip of 25,052 votes gives Harris the state's 15 electoral votes

Wisconsin
1,697,626 ... 49.60% Trump
1,668,229 ... 48.74% Harris
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29,387 - a flip of 14,699 votes gives Harris the state's 10 electoral votes

A flip of 99,885 votes in the above three states as noted would have given Harris 44 more electoral votes - and the presidency, 270-268.

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RedBaron · M

I remember a lot of this in 2016, when people were whining and moaning about Hillary having won the popular vote.

But everyone agrees to play by the rules of the Electoral College system, so the popular vote is only tangentially relevant and the electoral vote is what actually matters.

In each case, Trump unfortunately won fair and square, and the woulda coulda shoulda stuff doesn’t matter now. 🤷‍♂

PS - The same thing happened in reverse in 2020, where a flip of a similar number of votes in swing states would have given Trump the presidency.

That’s exactly why they’re called swing states.

MyGirlPhotoswell · 61-69, M

@RedBaron Yes, the narrative in 2020 was Biden won by 8 million votes when actually over 7.9 million of those votes were in California. He actually won by only about 30-35,000 votes spread over 3 swing states.

beckyromero · 36-40, F

@MyGirlPhotoswell

Yes, the narrative in 2020 was Biden won by 8 million votes when actually over 7.9 million of those votes were in California.

Don't know what narrative that's from. 😂

Joseph R. Biden, DEM 11,110,250 . . . 63.5%
Donald J. Trump, REP 6,006,429 . . . .34.3%

https://elections.cdn.sos.ca.gov/sov/2020-general/sov/complete-sov.pdf
see page 8

Sure, it was a close election. And Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania were the critical states that won it for Biden.

But Trump received over 6 million votes in California.

MyGirlPhotoswell · 61-69, M

My mistake, 7 million vote victory. Even after it was settled that 3 states decided the victory for Biden, much of the same narrative was "Biden won by over 7 million votes" ....

Dec.1 2020- CNN--------Biden’s popular vote margin over Trump tops 7 million--
Washington
CNN
—
President-elect Joe Biden’s margin over President Donald Trump in the nationwide popular vote is now more than 7 million votes and may continue to grow as several states continue counting votes.

Election fraud that could change the election outcome with over a 7 million vote margin would be an impossible undertaking.

If you didn't know that was much of the narrative immediately following the 2020 election to dispel Trumps claims of voter fraud, then you weren't paying attention... I'm not defending nor promoting Trump's claim of election fraud, I'm pointing out how the media manipulates data we receive to push a narrative. And you know I'm correct.

You can search and find much of the same narrative from AP, BBC, CBS, Cable News, etc,etc, etc. .

beckyromero · 36-40, F

@MyGirlPhotoswell

I'm not defending nor promoting Trump's claim of election fraud, I'm pointing out how the media manipulates data we receive to push a narrative.

You're trying to push a narrative that Biden's edge in the popular vote was due to California, as if it somehow delegitimizes his victory.

California happens to be part of the United States. And Biden's large victory there were no different that Trump's large victories in Texas, Florida and other states.

Biden winning the national popular vote AND the Electoral Vote wasn't something reported on the account of "manipulated data."

The FACT remains that Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania swung all three of the last presidential elections by narrow margins.

As Ronald Reagan, quoting John Adams, said, "Facts are stubborn things."