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Beto: 'I Think There’s a Lot of Wisdom' in Abolishing Electoral College

Leah Barkoukis
Leah Barkoukis  |  March 20, 2019 7:35 AM

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke believes abolishing the Electoral College is a wise idea—apparently knowing better than the founding fathers.

Responding to a question posed by MSNBC correspondent Garrett Haake about getting rid of the Electoral College, O’Rourke said he “sees a lot of wisdom in that" idea. 

“I think there’s a lot to that. Because you had an election in 2016 where the loser got 3 million more votes than the victor,” O’Rourke said. “It puts some states out of play altogether, they don’t feel like their votes really count."

He continued: “If we really want everyone to vote, to give them every reason to vote, we have to make sure their votes count and go to the candidate of their choosing. So I think there’s a lot of wisdom in that.”

The idea of abolishing the Electoral College is picking up steam among Democratic presidential candidates, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) saying Monday that the nation should move to a national popular vote for presidential elections.

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"We need to make sure that every vote counts," Warren said, "and that means get rid of the Electoral College."

President Trump weighed in on the issue Tuesday night, arguing that "campaigning for the popular vote is much easier & different than campaigning for the Electoral College."