The Electoral College Count

During the past few weeks, both Clinton and Obama have each claimed to be best able to defeat McCain in November. Of course, victory in November means getting at least 270 votes in the Electoral College. So just for fun, let’s compare the Electoral College vote count of the two Democratic contenders. If the general election were being held between Clinton and Obama, here’s what the Electoral College vote would look like so far:

Votes Required to Win = 270

Clinton = 263

Obama = 193

Votes Remaining =  82

Difference Between Clinton and Obama =  70

So if the Electoral College were voting today between Clinton and Obama, neither candidate would have a majority. In that case, the president is chosen by the House of Representatives (which has only happened once, by the way).  Although Clinton is in the lead, Obama is only 70 votes behind. With 82 Electoral Votes as yet unassigned, he would still have a chance of making up the difference.