US Senator Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday said she was disappointed that Donald Trump won the presidential election despite apparently losing the overall vote, but pledged to respect the outcome.
“It’s no secret that I didn’t want to see Donald Trump win yesterday,” the Massachusetts Democrat said in a statement to the Boston Globe, noting that returns show Hillary Clinton coming up short in the Electoral College even though she appears poised to tally more votes overall.
“I’m intensely frustrated by the apparent likelihood that, for the second time in five elections, a Democratic nominee will have won the popular vote but lost the presidency in the electoral college,” Warren said.
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In the 2000 presidential race, George W. Bush lost the popular vote to Al Gore, but won the presidency after a protracted legal battle over the Florida vote.
Warren added that “the integrity of our democracy is more important than any individual election, and those of use who supported Hilary Clinton will respect this result.”
“President-Elect Trump promised to rebuild our economy for working people, and I offer to put aside our differences and work with him on that task,” she said. “When he takes the oath of office as the leader of our democracy and the leader of all Americans, it is my sincere hope that he will fulfill that role with respect and concern for every single person in the country, no matter who they are, where they come from, what they believe, or whom they love.”
Warren is a prominent figure in the Democratic party and was considered a potential running mate for Hillary. She clashed sharply with Trump during the campaign, exchanging barbs with him on Twitter and excoriating him in speeches.
Massachusetts Democratic US Representative Michael Capuano said in a statement that “difficult days” lay ahead, but he would “try as hard as I can” to work with the president and Republican majorities in the House and Senate.
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Statement to The Globe from @SenWarren on the 2016 election results. pic.twitter.com/thrapUfdkS
— Annie Linskey (@AnnieLinskey) November 9, 2016
Andy Rosen can be reached at andrew.rosen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @andyrosen.