Midterm Election Results Saw Republicans Suffer Worst House Defeat in U.S. History Based on Popular Vote

Despite President Donald Trump's claim of a tremendous victory in this month's midterm elections, Democrats pulled off the biggest midterm victory in the country's history by claiming 8.8 million more votes than Republicans in House races, according to popular vote results from the Cook Political Report.

Democrats earned over 59.2 million votes in House contests and Republicans 50.3 million votes as the former flipped 38 House seats around the country, Cook Political Report editor Dave Wasserman said. The difference proved to be the biggest popular vote difference for either party in the country's history.

Republicans earned 45.2 percent of the overall vote in House races and Democrats 53.1 percent.

"Dems' national lead in raw House votes - now 8.8 million - just broke the record for largest for either party in the history of midterm elections (previous record was 8.7 million set by Dems in 1974)" Wasserman tweeted.

Dems' national lead in raw House votes - now 8.8 million - just broke the record for largest for either party in the history of midterm elections (previous record was 8.7 million set by Dems in 1974). https://t.co/0pm7oW1pFE

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) November 21, 2018

The 1974 midterm elections came roughly three months after late Republican President Richard Nixon resigned over the Watergate scandal. Democrats took over 49 seats in the House and four in the Senate that year.

Trump claimed a massive "red wave" would head to the polls to counteract the so-called "blue wave" of Democrats in opposition to his first two years office. Instead, Democrats have earned at least a 233 to 199-seat majority in the House with three races still undecided.

Notably, Democrats made significant gains in typical Republican-stronghold districts in California, New Jersey, Utah and others around the country as the president made the elections a referendum on his divisive first two years in office.

Democrats also picked up seven governor's mansions and stymied Republican hopes of deepening their hold on the Senate. Republicans did flip Florida, Missouri, Indiana and North Dakota's Senate seats, but also lost seats in Nevada and Arizona.

The president is all too familiar with losing the popular vote. Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton and claimed the White House with a 306-232 victory in the Electoral College, but lost the popular vote by over 2.8 million votes.

Trump has made unfounded assertions that illegal voters contributed to his popular vote loss in 2016 and that of Republicans in this year's midterms. Last week, the president cited illicit voting as the reason for Republican losses but did not offer any proof.

"The Republicans don't win and that's because of potentially illegal votes," Trump said in an interview with The Daily Caller. "When people get in line that have absolutely no right to vote and they go around in circles. Sometimes they go to their car, put on a different hat, put on a different shirt, come in and vote again. Nobody takes anything. It's really a disgrace what's going on."

republicans defeat midterm elections
President Donald Trump delivers remarks on supporting veterans and military families at the White House in Washington, DC, on November 15. AFP via Getty Images/Jim Watson

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