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WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Though Donald Trump mounted a significant victory in the Electoral College, Hillary Clinton has surpassed him in the national popular vote Wednesday morning as vote counts continue to roll in. If the figures hold, it will be the second time in 16 years Democrats captured a majority of the popular vote, but were thwarted by the Electoral College system.
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Clinton trailed Trump late Tuesday and early Wednesday in the popular vote, but as late-reporting precincts continued to trickle in she gained the lead. As of mid-day Thursday, she had 59,755,284 votes, to Trump's 59,535,522, a difference of 47.7 percent to 47.5 percent.
It would be just the fifth time in U.S. history a candidate who won the popular vote did not assume the presidency. The last was 2000, when former Vice President Al Gore defeated then-Gov. George W. Bush nationally, but lost the recount in Florida, a state that proved decisive that year.
Unlike 2000, however, there is no one state that could change the outcome if the winner were reversed. According to UPI/CVoter projections, Trump has won 285 electoral votes and is likely to add at least another four to his final tally, not including Minnesota, Michigan or New Hampshire, which all remain too close to call.
