What’s the most extreme theoretical difference possible in electoral college outcome vs popular votes? How badly could a winning president lose the popular vote?
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In 1860, Lincoln won the electoral college with less than 40% of the popular vote. Even if his three opponents had all combined their popular votes, Lincoln would *still* have won the EC.
This result was what drove the political logic of Secession in the South.
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So that’s a good benchmark for civil-war level stress on the body politic. Except in this case it would be “sick of the union” instead of “preserve the union”

