Prior to this year’s election, when was the last time a Republican presidential candidate won the popular vote? Correct
The last time a Republican presidential candidate won the popular vote before this year’s election was not Ronald Reagan in 1984, George H.W. Bush in 1988, or Donald Trump in 2016, but George W. Bush in 2004. While Ronald Reagan won the popular vote in 1984 and George H.W. Bush in 1988, their victories were not the most recent instances of a Republican candidate winning the popular vote. Donald Trump, despite winning the presidency in 2016, did not secure the popular vote. It was George W. Bush who last won the popular vote in the 2004 presidential election against Democratic candidate John Kerry, making him the correct answer among the options provided.