Clinton Could Be the 5th Person to Ever Lose Like This

It may be deja vu all over again for Democrats, with the very real possibility emerging that Hillary Clinton will be the second candidate in 16 years to win the popular vote but lose the Electoral College. As of 8am ET, Clinton had pulled ahead of President-elect Donald Trump by roughly 130,000 votes by the New York Times' count. Politico notes it could be weeks before it's declared either way, as absentee ballots will be counted for the foreseeable future. If Clinton does come out on top, Politico sees it as "likely provid[ing] little comfort besides adding a footnote to her historic run."

In terms of footnotes, Business Insider reports this would be the fifth time such a thing ever happened, with George W. Bush losing the popular vote in 2000, preceded by Benjamin Harrison in 1888, Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876, and John Quincy Adams in 1824. At Slate, Will Oremus writes, "It would be scant consolation to Clinton or her supporters, but a popular vote win would still be a historic landmark: It would make her the first woman to win the most votes in a US presidential election." (More Election 2016 stories.)