Trump's victory margin smaller than total Stein votes in key swing states

 

In two key states that President-elect Donald TrumpDonald John TrumpDemocrats slide in battle for Senate Trump believes Kushner relationship with Saudi crown prince a liability: report Christine Blasey Ford to be honored by Palo Alto City Council MORE won, his margin of victory was smaller than the total number of votes for Green Party nominee Jill Stein.

 

In Michigan, Trump defeated Democrat Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonO'Rourke's rise raises hopes for Texas Dems down ballot Gabbard considering 2020 run: report Claiming 'spousal privilege' to stonewall Congress MORE by 10,704 votes, while Stein got 51,463 votes, according to current totals on the state’s official website.

 

And in Wisconsin, Trump’s margin over Clinton was 22,177, while Stein garnered 31,006 votes.

 

In Pennsylvania, meanwhile, Stein’s total of 49,485 votes was just slightly smaller than Trump’s victory margin of 67,416 votes, according to the state’s latest numbers.

 

The margins were first noted by Cook Political Report's Dave Wasserman, who on Thursday tweeted that Stein's total votes were greater than the margin of Trump's victory in all three states. The votes in Pennsylvania have since changed again, and Trump's margin is now larger than the total vote for Stein. 

 

Only Michigan has certified its vote, so totals in the other two states may still be adjusted.

 

Stein has filed for a recount in all three states, and the Clinton campaign’s general counsel indicated her team would participate in the recounts. Trump has slammed the effort as a “scam” and filed an objection to the Michigan recount.

 

Stein herself has acknowledged she doesn't expect recounts to change the election results but called them a matter of election integrity.

 

Critics have blamed Stein's support for Trump's win, saying that Green Party backers should have preferred Clinton over Trump. The complaints echo arguments made after Democrat Al GoreAlbert (Al) Arnold GoreVoting mentality of seniors shifting ahead of midterms, says Morning Consult editor Nikki Haley powerfully rebuts Trump No, civility isn't optional MORE's loss to Republican George Bush in the 2000 election, when Green Party candidate Ralph Nader was targeted for criticism after a razor tight finish in Florida.

 

Stein supporters have countered that many of her voters would never have supported the Democratic nominee and should not have felt compelled to decide between just two candidates.

 

Trump won the Electoral College race with 306 electoral votes. Pennsylvania was worth 20 electoral votes, Michigan 16 and Wisconsin 10. If Clinton had won all three, she would have won the election.

 

On Wednesday, The Associated Press reported Clinton's lead over Trump in the popular vote had grown to 2.3 million. 

 

Clinton's total was 64,874,143, or 48.1 percent of the vote, to Trump's 62,516,883, or 46.4 percent.

 

Libertarian nominee Gary JohnsonGary Earl JohnsonThird-party voters made it difficult to predict 2016, says pollster A Senator Gary Johnson could be good not just for Libertarians, but for the Senate too Clinton would beat Trump in landslide in 2016 re-run, says Hill.TV poll MORE received 4,442,771 votes, or 3.3 percent of the vote, and Stein got 1,420,351 votes, or 1.1 percent.