Can a candidate win the popular vote but lose the presidential election?
Yes. Because the president is elected by the Electoral College, not the national popular vote, a candidate can win more total votes nationwide and still lose the election.
The United States does not elect its president by national popular vote. Instead, the winner is determined by the Electoral College - the sum of state-level results. A candidate who wins many large states by small margins can accumulate fewer total popular votes than their opponent while still winning 270 or more electoral votes.
This has happened five times in American history: 1824, 1876, 1888, 2000, and 2016. In 2016, Hillary Clinton received nearly three million more popular votes than Donald Trump nationally, but Trump won the Electoral College 306 to 232.
The gap exists because of the winner-take-all structure in most states and the fact that small states are slightly overrepresented in the Electoral College relative to their population (every state gets a minimum of 3 electoral votes regardless of size).
The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is an agreement among some states to award all their electoral votes to the national popular vote winner once enough states join to control 270 electoral votes. As of mid-2026, the compact has not reached that threshold and the Electoral College system remains in effect for 2028.
Related questions
Is the national popular vote ever officially counted?
Could the Electoral College be abolished?
Get the 2028 race by email
One short alert when the 2028 race actually changes - a candidate enters or drops out, the rules firm up, the polls move. No spam.
Related explainers
Each state gets electoral votes equal to its congressional seats. A candidate needs 270 of 538 to win. Voters choose slates of electors who then cast the official votes in December.
270 out of 538. A candidate must win a majority of electoral votes - at least 270 - to be elected president. If no one reaches 270, the House of Representatives decides.
A swing state - also called a battleground state - is one where neither major party has a reliable lead, making it competitive and decisive in the Electoral College.
See the live 2028 candidate trackerAll 2028 election questions