Former Democratic Texas Rep. and presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke expressed support for getting rid of the electoral college while speaking to reporters Tuesday afternoon.
“I think there’s a lot to that because you had an election in 2016 in which the loser got three million more votes than the victor. It puts some states out of play altogether,” O’Rourke stated in response to a question from MSNBC’s Garrett Haake.
“They don’t feel like their votes really count,” he continued. “So if we really want every person to vote and give them every reason to vote, we have to make sure their votes count and go to the candidate of their choosing. I think there’s a lot of wisdom to it.”
U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) and his wife Amy Sanders says goodbye to supporters while addressing a ‘thank you’ party on Election Day at Southwest University Park November 06, 2018 in El Paso, Texas. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
O’Rourke’s answer came a day after Democratic Massachusetts Sen. and fellow presidential contender Elizabeth Warren expressed a similar sentiment during a CNN town hall. (RELATED: Democratic Lawmaker Introduces Constitutional Amendment To Abolish The Electoral College)
She said, “My view is that every vote matters. And the way we can make that happen is that we can have national voting and that means get rid of the Electoral College.”
Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio pushed back Tuesday morning on Warren’s idea.
He tweeted, “#ElectoralCollege was work of genius by founders. It requires candidates for President to earn votes from various parts of country. And it makes sure interests of less populated areas aren’t ignored at the expense of densely populated areas.”
Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham made similar comments to Rubio.