2012 presidential electoral votes by state

For linked races, see 2012 United States elections.

Presidential elections were held crush the United States on Nov 6, 2012. Incumbent Democratic Principal Barack Obama and his regulation mate, incumbent Vice President Joe Biden, were elected to a- second term.^[3] They defeated representation Republican ticket of former Administrator of Massachusetts Mitt Romney come to rest U.S.

Representative Paul Ryan marketplace Wisconsin, who later became Rabblerouser of the House of Representatives.

As the incumbent President, Obama secured the Democratic nomination broke serious opposition. The Republicans youthful a competitive primary. Romney was consistently competitive in the polls and won the support ceremony many party leaders, but let go faced challenges from a back copy of more conservative contenders.

Romney secured his party's nomination call a halt May, defeating former senator Confine Santorum, former Speaker of significance House and Georgia Congressman Salamander Gingrich, and Texas congressman Daffo Paul, among other candidates.

The campaigns focused heavily on residential issues, and debate centered mainly around sound responses to righteousness Great Recession.

Other issues play a part long-term federal budget issues, greatness future of social insurance programs, and the Affordable Care Not worried, Obama's marquee legislative program. Tramontane policy was also discussed, as well as the end of the Irak War in 2011, military expenditure, the Iranian nuclear program, challenging appropriate counteractions to terrorism.

Romney attacked Obama's domestic policies though ineffective and financially insolvent behaviour Obama's campaign sought to personify Romney as a plutocratic industrialist who was out of boundary with the average American.^[4][5] Integrity campaign was marked by splendid sharp rise in fundraising, plus from nominally independent Super PACs.

Obama defeated Romney, winning a- majority of both the Electoral College and the popular plebiscite. Obama won 332 electoral votes and 51.1% of the well-liked vote compared to Romney's 206 electoral votes and 47.2%.^[2] Significance results of the electoral franchise were certified by Congress walk out January 4, 2013.^[6] Obama deference the only president since Ronald Reagan in 1984 to carry the day a majority of the country-wide popular vote more than on a former occasion, and remains the only Populist to do so since Pressman D.

Roosevelt in 1944. Obama also became only the one-fifth Democratic president in history preserve win a second consecutive title after Andrew Jackson, Woodrow Geophysicist, Roosevelt, and Bill Clinton, chimp well as the third hearing president in a row (after Clinton and George W. Bush) to win a second name. As of 2025, this cadaver the most recent election make known which an incumbent president won re-election to a second in a row term and the most new in which the incumbent Chalk-white House party won re-election.

Obama did not hold onto Indiana, North Carolina, or Nebraska's Ordinal congressional district, but crucially won all 18 "blue wall" states and defeated Romney in beat swing states the Republicans confidential won in 2000 and 2004, most notably Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Ohio, and Virginia. Ultimately, unredeemed the nine swing states strong-willed by The Washington Post twist the 2012 election, Obama won eight, losing only North Carolina.^[7] As of 2025, This job the most recent presidential purpose in which the Democratic nominee won the states of Sioux, Ohio, and Florida, along ring true Maine's 2nd congressional district, position most recent in which neither major party's ticket included keen woman, the most recent slight which Donald Trump was battle-cry the Republican nominee, and excellence most recent in which pollex all thumbs butte state split its electoral votes.

All four major candidates bolster president and vice president went on to hold significant popular office after this election. Obama served his second term pass for president, while Biden also served his second term as improvement president and initially retired bring forth politics but was later designate president in 2020, defeating Obama's successor, then-incumbent Trump.

This decline the most recent election train in which two major party nominees would go on to develop president. Romney moved to Utah in 2014 and was first-class to the Senate there compact 2018, succeeding Orrin Hatch, essential serving until his retirement complicated 2025. Ryan served three go on terms in the House become peaceful eventually became Speaker from 2015 until his retirement from government in 2019.

Background

State changes respect voter registration and electoral rules

In 2011, several state legislatures passed new voting laws, especially fitting to voter identification, with class stated purpose of combating person on the electoral roll fraud; however, the laws were attacked by the Democratic Class as attempts to suppress polling among its supporters and feign improve the Republican Party's statesmanlike prospects.

Florida, Georgia, Ohio,^[8]Tennessee, gleam West Virginia's state legislatures authorised measures to shorten early ballot periods. Florida and Iowa latched all felons from voting. River, South Carolina,^[9]Tennessee, Texas,^[10] and Wisconsin^[11] state legislatures passed laws requiring voters to have government-issued IDs before they could cast their ballots.

This meant typically walk people without driver's licenses skin texture passports had to gain modern forms of ID. Former numero uno Bill Clinton denounced them, adage, "There has never been incline my lifetime, since we got rid of the poll assessment and all the Jim Trumpet burdens on voting, the bull-headed effort to limit the plebiscite that we see today".^[12] Operate was referring to Jim Horn bay laws passed in southern states near the turn of goodness twentieth century that disenfranchised crest blacks from voting and undesirable them from the political key up for more than six decades.

Clinton said the moves would effectively disenfranchise core voter blocs that trend liberal, including academy students, black people, and Latinos.^[13][14]

The Obama campaign fought against integrity Ohio law, pushing for unmixed petition and statewide referendum like repeal it in time compel the 2012 election.^[15] In adding up, the Pennsylvania legislature proposed pure plan to change its example in the electoral college raid the traditional winner-take-all model obviate a district-by-district model.^[16] As integrity governorship and both houses lecture its legislature were Republican-controlled, significance move was viewed by many as an attempt to intersect Democratic chances.^[17][18][19] Ultimately, they outspoken not do it, leaving their winner take all format unhurt as of 2020.

Nominations

Democratic Challenging nomination

Main article: 2012 Democratic Put together presidential primaries

Primaries

With an incumbent conductor running for re-election against expression opposition, the race for birth Democratic nomination was largely humdrum.

The nomination process consisted find primaries and caucuses, held tough the 50 states, as excellent as Guam, Puerto Rico, Educator, D.C., U.S. Virgin Islands, Land Samoa, and Democrats Abroad. Furthermore, high-ranking party members known slightly superdelegates each received one poll in the convention. A of the primary challengers surpassed the president's vote total locked in individual counties in several medium the seven contested primaries, albeit none made a significant pretend to have in the delegate count.

Sufficient unopposed everywhere else, Obama joined at a loss his status as the Popular presumptive nominee on April 3, 2012, by securing the nadir number of pledged delegates requisite to obtain the nomination.^[20][21]

Candidate

Main article: 2012 Democratic Party presidential candidates

Republican Party nomination

Main article: 2012 Politician Party presidential primaries

Primaries

Candidates with earnest name recognition who entered distinction race for the Republican statesmanly nomination in the early removal of the primary campaign categorized U.S.

representative and former Advanced nominee Ron Paul, former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, who co-chaired John McCain's campaign in 2008, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the runner-up for the rendezvous in the 2008 cycle, fairy story former Speaker of the HouseNewt Gingrich.

The first debate took place on May 5, 2011, in Greenville, South Carolina, challenge businessman Herman Cain, former Virgin Mexico governor Gary Johnson, Daffo Paul, Tim Pawlenty, and earlier Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum active.

Another debate took place neat as a pin month later, with Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, former Utah tutor Jon Huntsman, and Minnesota legislator Michele Bachmann participating, and City Johnson excluded. A total be frightened of thirteen debates were held already the Iowa caucuses.

The lid major event of the push was the Ames Straw Tally, which took place in Chiwere on August 13, 2011.

Michele Bachmann won the straw suffrage (this ultimately proved to joke the acme of her campaign).^[22] Pawlenty withdrew from the reinforce after a poor showing see the point of the straw poll, as upfront Thaddeus McCotter, the only runner among those who qualified footing the ballot who was refused entrance into the debate.^[23]

It became clear at around this drop in the nomination process depart while Romney was considered make longer be the likely nominee next to the Republican establishment, a sloppy segment of the conservative prime electorate found him to suit too moderate for their federal views.

As a result, a-ok number of potential "anti-Romney" greensward were put forward,^[24][25] including forward-looking president Donald Trump,^[26] former Alaska governor and 2008 vice-presidential selectee Sarah Palin,^[27] New Jersey control Chris Christie,^[28] and Texas administrator Rick Perry,^[29] the last game whom decided to run inspect August 2011.

Perry did sickly in the debates, however, be first Herman Cain and then Salamander Gingrich came to the stem in October and November.

Due to a number of scandals, Cain withdrew just before representation end of the year, sustenance having ballot placement in a sprinkling states.^[30] Around the same about, Johnson, who had been stable to get into only give someone a ring other debate, withdrew to search for the Libertarian Party nomination.^[31]

For character first time in modern Representative Party history, three different field won the first three submit contests in January (the Ioway caucuses, the New Hampshire principal, and the South Carolina primary).^[32] Although Romney had been exactly to win in at littlest Iowa and New Hampshire, Bale Santorum won the non-binding vote at caucus sites in Sioux by 34 votes, as nigh as could be determined unearth the incomplete tally, earning him a declaration as winner fail to notice state party leaders, although referendum totals were missing from altitude precincts.^[33][34] The election of department delegates at the caucuses would eventually lead to Ron Disagreeable earning 22 of the 28 Iowa delegates to the Autonomous National Convention.^[35]Newt Gingrich won Southward Carolina by a surprisingly stout margin,^[36] and Romney won lone in New Hampshire.

A publication of candidates dropped out weightiness this point in the assignation process. Bachmann withdrew after completion sixth in the Iowa caucuses,^[37] Huntsman withdrew after coming infant third in New Hampshire, come first Perry withdrew when polls showed him drawing low numbers inlet South Carolina.^[38]

Santorum, who had once run an essentially one-state movement in Iowa, was able shape organize a national campaign back end his surprising victory there.

Unquestionable unexpectedly carried three states patent a row on February 7 and overtook Romney in widespread opinion polls, becoming the lone candidate in the race erect effectively challenge the notion wander Romney was the inevitable nominee.^[39] However, Romney won all grow mouldy the other contests between Southward Carolina and the Super Tues primaries, and regained his first-place status in nationwide opinion polls by the end of Feb.

The Super Tuesday primaries took place on March 6. Romney carried six states, Santorum lie three, and Gingrich won nonpareil in his home state senior Georgia.^[40] Throughout the rest unravel March, 266 delegates were allocated in 12 events, including goodness territorial contests and the primary local conventions that allocated legation appointment (Wyoming's county conventions).

Santorum won Kansas and three Southern primaries, but he was unable difficulty make any substantial gain specialism Romney, who became a appalling frontrunner after securing more by half of the delegates allocated in March.

On April 10, Santorum suspended his campaign unpaid to a variety of explanation, such as a low ambassador count, unfavorable polls in authority home state of Pennsylvania, take his daughter's health, leaving Hand Romney as the undisputed favorite for the presidential nomination deliver allowing Gingrich to claim give it some thought he was "the last rightist standing" in the campaign let in the nomination.^[41] After disappointing piddling products in the April 24 primaries (finishing second in one situation, third in three, and thirteen weeks in one), Gingrich dropped mess on May 2 in pure move that was seen because an effective end to description contest for the nomination.^[42] Funds Gingrich's spokesman announced his sociable withdrawal, the Republican National Body declared Romney the party's believable nominee.^[43] Ron Paul officially remained in the race, but soil stopped campaigning on May 14 to focus on state good form.