Beto O'Rourke says there's 'a lot of wisdom' in the idea of eliminating the Electoral College


Two more 2020 Democrats say eliminating the Electoral College may be the way to go.
Former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke on Tuesday said that there's "a lot of wisdom to" the idea of abolishing the Electoral College, pointing to the fact that in 2016, "the loser got three million more votes than the victor," per NBC's Kailani Koenig. The system puts "some states out of play altogether" and makes it so they "don't feel like their votes really count," he argued. O'Rourke also said that "if we really want every person to vote ... we've got to make sure their votes count."
O'Rourke didn't formally back the proposal, though, as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) did during an event on Monday. The Massachusets senator said that making sure that "every vote matters" means it's necessary to "get rid of the Electoral College," per The New York Times. Republicans have criticized this idea, with Sen. Marco Rubio (D-Fla.) saying on Tuesday that "ironically [the] same people always preaching about our 'constitutional norms' want to change the ones they find inconvenient."
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South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, another 2020 Democrat, also called for eliminating the Electoral College, telling The Washington Post on Tuesday, "It's gotta go." Brendan Morrow
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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