<P> The 2000 presidential election pitted Republican candidate George W. Bush (the incumbent governor of Texas and son of former president George H.W. Bush) against Democratic candidate Al Gore (the incumbent Vice President of the United States under Bill Clinton). Despite Gore receiving 543,895 more votes (0.51% of all votes cast), the Electoral College chose Bush as president by a vote of 271 to 266 . </P> <P> Vice President Gore secured the Democratic nomination with relative ease . Bush was seen as the early favorite for the Republican nomination, and despite a contentious primary battle with Senator John McCain and other candidates, secured the nomination by Super Tuesday . Many third - party candidates also ran, most prominently Ralph Nader . Bush chose former Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney as his running mate, and Gore chose Senator Joe Lieberman as his . Both major - party candidates focused primarily on domestic issues, such as the budget, tax relief, and reforms for federal social - insurance programs, though foreign policy was not ignored . </P> <P> The result of the election hinged on voting in Florida, where Bush's narrow margin of victory of just 537 votes out of almost 6 million votes cast on election night triggered a mandatory recount . Litigation in select counties started additional recounts, and this litigation ultimately reached the United States Supreme Court . The Court's contentious decision in Bush v. Gore, announced on December 12, 2000, ended the recounts, effectively awarding Florida's votes to Bush and granting him the victory . Later studies have reached conflicting opinions on who would have won the recount had it been allowed to proceed . Nationwide, George Bush received 50,456,002 votes (47.87%) and Gore received 50,999,897 (48.38%). </P> <P> The 2016 presidential election featured Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton (former U.S. Senator from New York, Secretary of State, and First Lady to President Bill Clinton) and Republican nominee Donald Trump, a billionaire businessman (owner of the Trump Organization) from New York City, who had no prior political experience or service in the military . Both nominees had turbulent journeys in primary races, and were seen unfavorably by the general public . The election saw multiple third - party candidates, and there were over a million write - in votes cast . </P>

When has the electoral college differed from popular vote