Preliminary numbers released by the Associated Press show that Republican Donald Trump has won the Electoral College with 276 votes, but it appears Democrat Hillary Clinton actually received more votes.

>> Here's what Donald Trump thought about the Electoral College in 2012

Early Wednesday, Trump’s vote total was listed as 58,844,144, while Clinton tallied 58,879,687, a difference of more than 35,000 votes.

>> PHOTOS: Election Night 2016

As more votes came in, by 8:15 a.m. Clinton's popular vote lead increased to more than 135,000.

>> Read more trending stories

A person winning the presidency without winning the popular vote is rare, but not unheard of in U.S. elections.

>> Donald Trump claims victory, promises to unite the nation as president

Most recently, Democrat Al Gore lost the presidency to Republican George W. Bush, despite receiving more than 500,000 more votes than his opponent.

About the Author

Featured

Rose Scott signals as Closer Look goes on air in the WABE studio. An Atlanta resident left WABE a $3 million donation, a boost after WABE lost $1.9 million in annual funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. (Ben Gray / AJC file)

Credit: Ben Gray