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2016 Hasn't Been Easy For Hillary Clinton

by Melissa Cruz

As has been the case with this entire election, the results coming in on election night have completely defied all predictions. So the question on everyone's mind is this: could Hillary Clinton still win the election? The path to 270 electoral votes has been far more difficult for her than anyone expected, especially when compared to her Republican opponent Donald Trump. Months' worth of predictions from top political analysts have largely fallen to the wayside, causing the Clinton campaign to abandon hopes of an early knockout to Trump.

So how could the Democratic nominee still secure the needed 270 electoral votes? Clinton's path to the White House will likely rely on potential razor-thin wins in states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Now that the results from reliably blue states have been tallied, Clinton will need the support of these states to just barely clinch a victory. As The New York Times reports, the vote count will take longer than it did for states like Florida, which had Clinton as an early favorite but ultimately went to Trump.

But even a victory in these states now seems unlikely — each are decidedly filled with white working-class voters, a reliable stronghold for the Trump campaign. Clinton's best shot from these states comes from their urban areas, which tend to lean Democrat. As of late Tuesday evening, those urban precincts had yet to be counted, offering some hope that they will swing in favor of the Democratic nominee.

John Moore/Getty Images News/Getty Images

According to predictions from CBS News, Clinton would also have to secure wins in Minnesota and New Hampshire. Late on election night, Minnesota was polling at 49 percent for Clinton, while Trump polled at 48 to Clinton's 47 percent. CBS News warns that the results were not looking promising for Clinton, however, as those states are generally reliably blue. In most elections, they are called for the Democratic candidate far earlier than the country has seen this Tuesday night.

But the pathway leading up to this moment for Clinton hasn't been easy, either. She's faced a remarkably difficult election cycle filled with personal attacks, meandering investigations, and an opponent who — lest we forget — has repeatedly used his pulpit to attack nearly every single demographic in this country. Her pathway to victory would be hard-won, but no less deserved.

So while the math in her favor is shaky, keep the faith — we've gotten this far.