2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, Democratic primary
60,659 votes were cast in the primary. Obama won with 49,080 votes. The total votes cast were more than 30% fewer than in 1996, the last time that a Democratic president ran for re-election without significant opposition.


2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, Republican primary
The Republican primary took place on Tuesday, January 10, 2012. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney won the primary.


2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, Republican primary, Campaign
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Texas Congressman Ron Paul, Former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, and Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum were heavily contesting and campaigning in the New Hampshire primary. Santorum won the Iowa Caucus on January 3, but no one knew that yet, and believed Romney had won by 8 votes.


2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, Republican primary, Campaign
Televised debates in New Hampshire were held on January 7, 2012, on ABC News at Saint Anselm College and the following morning on January 8, 2012, on NBC's Meet the Press and MSNBC. All major Republican candidates attended both debates.


2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, Republican primary, Ballot
In 2012, a record 33 Republican candidates filed to appear on the ballot in New Hampshire, including various single-issue activists, protest candidates, and perennial candidates. For instance, Stewart Greenleaf, who had no interest in becoming President, registered for the ballot to promote the issue of government spending in the Republican Party. Under New Hampshire's lenient ballot access laws, a candidate is only required to pay $1,000 to the state's treasury, and needs no party approval or petitions for placement.


2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, Republican primary, Endorsements
Various newspapers that circulate widely in New Hampshire made endorsements ahead of the New Hampshire primary. While the conservative Union Leader, the only statewide newspaper, endorsed Gingrich, various newspapers endorsed Huntsman, with the Valley News stating that Huntsman was "a candidate whose views are solidly conservative, but not myopically so" and criticizing Romney and Gingrich, stating that "The former has raised the flip-flop to an art form, while the latter has done the same for hypocrisy" and endorsing Huntsman "in the hopes that the cooler heads will prevail in New Hampshire and elsewhere." Romney also received support, including from the Portsmouth Herald of the Seacoast Region.


2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, Republican primary, Endorsements
Romney led the field in endorsements from New Hampshire Republican elected officials. The New York Times reported that after losing New Hampshire in the 2008 primary to John McCain, Romney devoted considerable time and money to gain the support of New Hampshire Republican figures. Romney's political action committee (PAC) "spread thousands of dollars" to New Hampshire Republican campaigns, including that of youthful Republican state Representative D.J. Bettencourt of the Republican-heavy Salem area, elected state House majority leader in 2011, who is one of Romney's most active supporters.


2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, Republican primary, Endorsements
Romney's PAC also donated $25,000 to the New Hampshire Republican State Committee under the chairmanship of prominent New Hampshire party player John H. Sununu, a former governor and White House Chief of Staff. Republican candidates for state Senate and state House, small-town Republican committees, and county sheriffs and district attorneys were all "recipients of [Romney's] largesse." Romney was criticized by some as "buying" endorsements, who referenced "blatantly transactional terms that lie behind the announcements." A large number of officials endorsing Romney, in New Hampshire and in other early primary states, had received contributions first.


2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, Republican primary, Endorsements
By December 11, Romney had already received the endorsement of Ted Gatsas, mayor of Manchester (New Hampshire's largest city) and former state Senate president, and 58 endorsements from state representatives. According to prominent Romney supporter Thomas D. Rath, a former state attorney general described as a Republican power broker, on the eve of the primary the Romney campaign had been endorsed by 11 of 19 Republicans in the State Senate, 73 or 74 of the Republican state representatives, and eight of the 10 sheriffs, as well as the mayor of the largest city.


2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, Republican primary, Endorsements
The New York Times reported that so many officials endorsed Romney that it took a three-page pamphlet mailed to New Hampshire Republicans to list them all. The Times reported that Romney-supporting officials "introduce him at virtually every campaign stop, flood gyms and seniors centers with crowds on short notice and attack his Republican rivals."


2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, Republican primary, Endorsements
Of the three Republicans in New Hampshire's congressional delegation, Senator Kelly Ayotte and Representative Charles Bass endorsed Romney, while Frank Guinta declined to endorse a candidate. Executive Council members Raymond S. Burton (who has represented northern New Hampshire since the 1970s), Christopher T. Sununu, and Raymond Wieczorek; State Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley, state Senators David Boutin, John Barnes, Jr., Jim Rausch, and Chuck Morse; and former state Senate President Tom Eaton endorsed Romney before December 7. Douglas Dutile, the sheriff of Grafton County, also endorsed Romney.


2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, Republican primary, Endorsements
Senator John McCain of Arizona, who won the New Hampshire Republican primary in 2000 and 2008 and was the Republican nominee for president in 2008, endorsed Romney following the Iowa caucuses and ahead of the New Hampshire primary at a Manchester rally on January 4, despite prior tension between the two in the 2008 primary race.


2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, Republican primary, Endorsements
After Iowa but before the New Hampshire primaries, tea party movement-aligned Buffalo, New York businessman Carl Paladino, the 2010 gubernatorial candidate in nearby New York, supported Gingrich and sharply criticized the rest of the candidates.


2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, Republican primary, Endorsements
New Hampshire House Speaker William L. (Bill) O'Brien endorsed Gingrich, while former House speakers George Roberts, Howard Burns, John Tucker, Donna Sytek, and Doug Scamman endorsed Romney. State Senators Jim Forsythe, Andy Sanborn, and Ray White endorsed Ron Paul.


2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, Republican primary, Endorsements
Notably, former PA Sen. Rick Santorum gained a disproportionately high number of endorsements (when compared to his pre-Iowa polling in the single digits) in the run up to and including the NH Primary. At one point Santorum led the entire field of GOP candidates in total number of endorsements (until the entrance of Romney and Perry), and finished with more endorsees than even Huntsman who finished third in the race.


2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, Republican primary, Endorsements
This was due in large part to the efforts of Santorum's State Co-chairs: Rep. Dan Tamburello, a current member of the NH House of Representatives from Londonderry who spearheaded the effort, Hon. Bill Cahill, a former Governor's Councilor and member of the NH House, and Claira Monier, a notable Republican party activist who was instrumental in Reagan's NH victory in 1980.


2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, Republican primary, Endorsements
Sen Santorum's national campaign manager was by Mike Biundo, who was the architect of former Manchester mayor Frank Guinta's surprising 2010 primary upset for the NH 1st Congressional district; Guinta went on to win the NH-1 district in November 2010 in a decisive victory over Democrat Carol-Shea Porter, who never conceded the race. Other notable endorsements for the Senator included Sen. Jim Luther, Sen. Fenton Groen, former candidate for Governor Karen Testerman, Rep Susan DeLemus, and NH Tea-Party luminary Jerry DeLemus. Testerman and the DeLemus' endorsed Rick after having defected from the Bachmann camp.


2012 United States presidential election in New Hampshire, General election
New Hampshire was rated as a toss-up to Lean D state. Polling showed a consistent single digit polling lead for President Obama. The average of the final 3 polls had Obama leading Romney 50% to 47.3%.


2012 United States presidential election in New Jersey
The 2012 United States presidential election in New Jersey took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Voters in the state chose 14 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.


2012 United States presidential election in New Jersey
Due to the difficulty of getting to polling places because of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, voters who were displaced were allowed to vote electronically. Officials were not prepared for the 15 minutes that it took to validate each request, and were deluged by voters who were not displaced asking to vote electronically, so voting was extended until Friday, November 9, at 8 PM. Requests had to be submitted by 5 PM. It is likely that Obama's response to the hurricane, approved by 77% of Obama voters (with 8% disapproving and 15% unsure) and 44% (with 21% disapproving and 35% unsure) of Romney's voters, boosted his performance in New Jersey, which was hit hard by the superstorm.


2012 United States presidential election in New Jersey
New Jersey was won by President Obama with 58.38% of the vote to Romney's 40.59%, a 17.79% margin of victory, an increase from 15.53% in 2008. New Jersey was 1 of just 6 states to swing in President Obama's favor between 2008 and 2012, giving him the largest vote share for a Democratic presidential nominee in the state since Lyndon Johnson's 1964. Obama won over many municipalities in northeastern New Jersey that voted Republican in 2008.


2012 United States presidential election in New Jersey
In 2012, New Jersey voted 13.93% to the left of the nation as a whole.


2012 United States presidential election in New Jersey
As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last time a Democrat has won Salem County. This is also the last time that New Jersey voted to the left of Washington or Illinois.


2012 United States presidential election in New Jersey, Democratic primary
Incumbent Barack Obama ran unopposed in the Democratic primary held on June 5, 2012. He received 283,673 votes according to the Secretary of State, though county clerks' websites report write-in votes as well. The state's 172 delegates voted unanimously for Obama at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.


2012 United States presidential election in New Jersey, Republican primary
New Jersey sent 50 delegates to the Republican National Convention on August 5, 2012. All 50 delegates were awarded by a winner-take-all statewide vote. New Jersey Republican Party rules obligate and require the delegates to cast their vote for the winner of the primary on the first 3 ballots at the convention.


2012 United States presidential election in New Jersey, General election, Analysis
New Jersey was one of just six states that voted more Democratic in 2012 than it had in 2008. In 2008, Obama won the state by roughly 602,000 votes, whereas in 2012, this margin increased to about 648,000 votes. Obama's increased statewide margin owed itself to larger Democratic margins in several central and northern counties. In Middlesex, Hudson, Passaic, and Union Counties collectively, Obama netted nearly 45,000 additional votes compared to 2008. Outside of these four counties, most others in the state had comparable margins to 2008.


2012 United States presidential election in New Jersey, General election, Analysis
Turnout patterns relative to 2008 arguably helped Obama increase his statewide margin. Every county cast fewer votes in 2012 than in 2008, but not uniformly so. Perhaps due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy, conservative Monmouth County saw the largest percentage decrease in votes cast from 2008, with Ocean County also witnessing a substantial decline in votes cast. In the northwestern part of the state, strongly Republican Sussex and Warren County experienced moderately lower turnout. In terms of raw votes cast, Passaic County, which is strongly Democratic, came closest to its 2008 figures, with just 5,000 fewer votes cast in 2012 than in 2008.


2012 United States presidential election in New Jersey, General election, Analysis
Obama's improved performance was quite unusual as his performance worsened in most other areas of the nation (particularly the Midwest and Rust Belt). It is likely this was due to his widely approved response to Hurricane Sandy, which had a devastating effect on the state, causing two million households to lose power, destroying 346,000 homes,  and causing blockades on bridges and roads for up to two weeks. Obama's response to the so-called superstorm also likely contributed to his improved performance.


2012 United States presidential election in New Jersey, General election, Analysis
According to a poll conducted by ABC News and The Washington Post, not only did 77% of Obama's voters approve of his handling of the storm (with 8% disapproving and 15% unsure), he also received a plurality amongst Romney voters, with 44% approving of his handling, 21% disapproving, and 35% unsure. Another poll by the Pew Research Center found that 67% of registered voters approved of Obama's response with only 15% disapproving. Chris Christie, the state's Republican governor called Obama's response to the hurricane "outstanding" and praised him for his frequent coordination with the New Jersey government, potentially boosted his popularity amongst Republican voters.


2012 United States presidential election in New Mexico
The 2012 United States presidential election in New Mexico took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. This was the 25th U.S. presidential election in which New Mexico participated. New Mexico voters chose five electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.


2012 United States presidential election in New Mexico
Prior to the election, 17 news organizations considered this a state Obama would win, or otherwise considered as a safe blue state. President Obama and Vice President Biden carried New Mexico with 52.99% of the vote to Mitt Romney's 42.84%, a victory margin of 10.15%.


2012 United States presidential election in New Mexico
Libertarian Gary Johnson, a former Republican who served two terms as Governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003, garnered 3.55% of the vote, his strongest statewide performance in the nation, and the strongest 3rd party showing in the state since 2000 (although that was easily surpassed by Johnson in 2016, when he received nearly 10% of the vote in New Mexico).


2012 United States presidential election in New Mexico
As of 2020, this is the most recent election where Colfax County, Hidalgo County, and Valencia County voted for the Democratic candidate. (Valencia County picked Donald Trump, Obama's successor, in both his 2016 win and 2020 loss, thus ending its reputation as a pivotal bellwether in presidential elections.)


2012 United States presidential election in New Mexico, Democratic caucuses
The Democratic caucus in New Mexico was uncontested as no one challenged incumbent President Barack Obama for the nomination. As a result, all of the state's 50 delegates were allocated to Obama.


2012 United States presidential election in New Mexico, Republican primary
The 2012 New Mexico Republican presidential primary was proclaimed under state law on January 30, 2012 to take place on June 5, 2012. Under New Mexico law it is a closed primary, with only registered members of the New Mexico Republican Party being eligible to vote in the Republican primary. 20 delegates were chosen, for a total of 23 delegates to go to the national convention.


2012 United States presidential election in New York
The 2012 United States presidential election in New York took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Voters chose 29 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.


2012 United States presidential election in New York
Barack Obama carried the state of New York by a landslide margin, winning 63.35% of the vote to Mitt Romney's 35.17%. As in previous elections, the Democratic ticket easily won, for the most part due to racking up great margins in New York City (which in and of itself makes up 42.2% of the state's population) and its metropolitan area. The city alone garnered Obama 1,995,241 votes (or 81.19% of the vote in the city). He also managed to win Staten Island (Richmond County) which he didn't get in 2008.


2012 United States presidential election in New York
Putnam County, which McCain won in 2008, was the only county in the NYC metropolitan area that Obama lost to Romney. The rest of his votes mostly came from Albany, Buffalo, Ithaca, Rochester, Syracuse, and their respective metropolitan areas, giving him a solid 28.18% lead over Romney. Obama even won in many rural counties. The Republicans won only in some rural parts of upstate and western New York.


2012 United States presidential election in New York
New York was 1 of only 6 states to swing in President Obama's favor from 2008 to 2012, giving him the largest percentage of the vote for any presidential candidate in the state since 1964 and the second largest Democratic vote share in the state in history. Similar to New Jersey, some news outlets, such as the New York Times, have proposed that Obama's improved performance in these states – as opposed to worsened performances in areas like the Rust Belt – was due to his handling of Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall on October 29. Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg endorsed Obama due to the federal government's handling of the hurricane.


2012 United States presidential election in New York
As of 2020, this is the most recent time the Democratic nominee won the following counties: Cayuga, Cortland, Franklin, Madison, Niagara, Orange, Oswego, Otsego, Richmond (i.e. Staten Island), Seneca, St. Lawrence, Suffolk, Sullivan, Warren, and Washington. As of 2020, this is also the most recent election where New York voted to the left of Maryland, Massachusetts or California.


2012 United States presidential election in New York, Democratic primary
Barack Obama ran uncontested in the Democratic primary, and it was therefore cancelled.


2012 United States presidential election in New York, Republican primary
The 2012 New York Republican presidential primary took place on April 24, 2012.


2012 United States presidential election in New York, Republican primary
By county, Romney won a plurality in every county, and a majority in all but 6: Niagara, Cattaraugus, Wyoming, Orleans, Schuyler, Herkimer and Oswego.


2012 United States presidential election in New York, Republican primary
Paul finished second in most counties. Santorum finished second in Otsego County. Gingrich finished second in two geographic areas: a cluster of counties in the Catskills and Hudson Valley (Orange, Rockland, Sullivan, and Westchester) and in most of the counties of Western New York (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, and Wyoming), in addition to Herkimer and Oneida counties. Gingrich's relative strength in Western New York, as well as in Herkimer, can be attributed to the continued popularity and efforts of Carl Paladino, who carried those counties in the previous gubernatorial election and campaigned on Gingrich's behalf. The majority of New York politicians had endorsed Romney while the primary election was still competitive.


2012 United States presidential election in New York, General election, Analysis
As expected, New York gave a landslide win to Obama, with 4,485,877 votes, or 63.35% of the popular vote, 28.18% lead ahead of Romney. It was one of only six states to swing in Obama's favor from 2008, when he won with a 26.85% margin. New York has voted solidly for the Democratic candidate in every election since Michael Dukakis in 1988, which marked the end of its status as a swing state. This was the greatest ever percentage of the vote won by a Democrat since Lyndon B. Johnson won 68.56% of the vote in his 1964 44 state-landslide.


2012 United States presidential election in New York, General election, Analysis
The politics of New York State are dominated by the heavily populated area of New York City, which Barack Obama won in a historic landslide, taking 81.19% of the vote and sweeping all 5 boroughs. Obama took 1,995,241 votes in New York City, to Mitt Romney's 436,889. No other presidential candidate of either party has ever received more than 80% of the vote in New York City. This was not only due to its majority liberal and extremely diverse population.


2012 United States presidential election in New York, General election, Analysis
His performance in New York City likely contributed to his improvement from 2008, which was unusual compared to the rest of the country where he underperformed from 2008 (particularly in areas like the Midwest and Rust Belt). He managed to flip Staten Island, which voted for John McCain in 2008, as well as improved his margins in all other boroughs except for Manhattan.


2012 United States presidential election in New York, General election, Analysis
This improved performance is likely attributable to Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall on October 29 and had devastating effects on the state, killing 44 people, destroying 250,000 vehicles and 300 homes, damaging 69,000 residential units, and flooding of the New York City Subway, all tunnels within the city (except for the Lincoln Tunnel), many suburban communities. Areas that weren't directly affected by the hurricane were indirectly effected by power outages and major disruption to data communication.


2012 United States presidential election in New York, General election, Analysis
Staten Island was hit hardest, with its geographical position combined with weather patterns, causing a 16 feet-high storm tide at its peak, flooding major residential areas. 23 of the 44 deaths from the hurricane were in Staten Island. The federal government's powerful and coordinated response to the hurricane was praised by those on both sides of the isle, garnering Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg's endorsement, as well as praise from Republican politicians like Chris Christie. This – combined with the media's heavy criticism of Romney's support for a 40% budget cut to FEMA, which would grow to as much as 60% in the coming years – weakened Romney's performance amongst voters across city, including conservatives, especially in the borough of Staten Island.


2012 United States presidential election in New York, General election, Analysis
The advantage from Hurricane Sandy was also reflected in polls. Prior to the storm, nine nationwide polls listed in Real Clear Politics' database found Romney and Obama each leading in four and one tied. Seven national polls taken after the storm had shown Obama leading in three, four being tied, and Romney leading in none. In particular, a poll by Politico and George Washington University found Obama's lead increasing in the Northeast from 8 to 20% before and after the storm.


2012 United States presidential election in New York, General election, Analysis
Unlike many rural areas across the country, most notably in the Midwest, rural counties didn't swing especially hard against Obama this election. Most of the political landscape looked roughly the same, with the exception of Chautauqua County flipping red this election after supporting Obama by narrow margins in 2008. However, Obama tied with Romney for white voters (who make up a majority of upstate's population but a minority in New York City) according to New York Times exit polls this election, a significant decline from 2008 when he won white voters 52 to 46. Discounting New York City's votes, Obama still would have carried New York State, albeit by a closer margin. Excluding New York City, Obama's vote total in the state was 2,490,636 to Romney's 2,053,607, giving Obama a 54.03%-44.54% win outside of NYC.


2012 United States presidential election in New York, General election, Analysis
In terms of exit polls, Obama performed roughly as expected. He won both women and men 68 to 31 and 58 to 42, respectively, and won Black voters 94 to 5 and Hispanic voters 89 to 11. These ethnic groups collectively make up 54.6% of New York City's population, and thus hold great influence. Obama won all age groups, education levels, and income levels, though he did best amongst 18 to 29 year olds (72 to 25), those with no college degree (66 to 34), and those with an income under $30,000 (81 to 17), respectively. Obama not only won liberals and registered Democrats, but he also won moderates and independents 63 to 36 and 50 to 44 respectively – these groups make up 42% and 23% of the electorate respectively and were thus vital for Obama to win.


2012 United States presidential election in North Carolina
The 2012 United States presidential election in North Carolina took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 General Election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. North Carolina voters chose 15 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.


2012 United States presidential election in North Carolina
Romney narrowly carried the state of North Carolina, winning 50.39% of the vote to Obama's 48.35%, a margin of 2.04%. North Carolina was one of just two states (along with Indiana) that flipped from voting for Obama in 2008 to voting Republican in 2012. Like Indiana, North Carolina had been a reliably Republican state prior to Obama's 2008 win, having not previously gone Democratic since 1976. Unlike Indiana, however, North Carolina was still considered a competitive swing state in 2012, and both campaigns targeted it heavily, with the Democrats holding their convention in Charlotte.


2012 United States presidential election in North Carolina
Romney was the first presidential candidate since Zachary Taylor in 1848 to carry North Carolina while losing both Wake County and Mecklenburg County, the two most populous counties and home to the cities of Raleigh and Charlotte, respectively. While Obama lost North Carolina to Romney, he received more votes than he received in 2008, garnering 35,740 more. This is the first time Nash County had voted for a Democratic candidate since Jimmy Carter carried it in 1976. This is peculiar considering the state otherwise flipped towards the Republican Party this election cycle, flipping four counties that were won by Obama four years prior.


2012 United States presidential election in North Carolina
As of 2020, this is the most recent election where the Republican presidential candidate won Watauga County; and the Democratic presidential candidate won Bladen County, Gates County, Granville County, Martin County, Richmond County, and Robeson County. This is also the last time that any presidential candidate won the majority of the vote in North Carolina.


2012 United States presidential election in North Carolina, Primary elections, Democratic primary
The 2012 North Carolina Democratic primary was held May 8, 2012. North Carolina awarded 157 delegates proportionally.


2012 United States presidential election in North Carolina, Primary elections, Democratic primary
No candidate ran against incumbent President Barack Obama in North Carolina's Democratic presidential preference primary. Obama received 766,079 votes, or 79.23% of the vote, with the remainder (200,810 votes, or 20.77%) going to elect delegates with "No Preference".


2012 United States presidential election in North Carolina, Primary elections, Democratic primary
At the North Carolina Democratic state convention, 152 delegates were awarded to Obama, with 5 delegates remaining unannounced.


2012 United States presidential election in North Carolina, Primary elections, Republican primary
The 2012 North Carolina Republican primary was held May 8, 2012. North Carolina awarded 55 delegates proportionally. Ron Paul and Mitt Romney were the only active contenders on the ballot. By the time of the primary, Romney had already been declared the party's presumptive nominee.


2012 United States presidential election in North Carolina, Primary elections, Republican primary
Romney won the North Carolina GOP presidential primary with 65.62% of the vote. Paul (with 11.12% of the vote) narrowly edged out Santorum (with 10.39% of the vote), and Gingrich came in last with 7.64% of the vote. 5.23% of voters registered "no preference". The awarded delegate count from North Carolina's Republican state convention was Romney with 48 delegates and Paul with 7 delegates.


2012 United States presidential election in North Carolina, General election, Polling
Statewide opinion polling for the 2012 United States presidential election


2012 United States presidential election in North Carolina, General election, Polling
Throughout most of 2011, Obama won or tied with Romney in every poll. On September 25, 2011, Romney won a poll for the first time, 50% to 39%. Until May 2012, Obama had a consistent but narrow lead over Romney. Throughout the summer of 2012, the tide changed with Romney winning more polls than Obama. In September, Obama's momentum rose and Obama won most polls in September 2012. In October, the tide changed in Romney's favor, and Obama had not won a poll since October 1, 2012.


2012 United States presidential election in North Carolina, General election, Polling
Romney won every poll for the first three weeks in October, but then many polls came as tied between Obama and Romney. Romney led the last poll 50% to 46%, but the second last poll was tied. The last three polls showed an average of Romney leading 49% to 48%, which was accurate compared to the results.


2012 United States presidential election in North Dakota
The 2012 United States presidential election in North Dakota took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. North Dakota voters chose three electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.


2012 United States presidential election in North Dakota
Prior to the election, 17 news organizations considered this a state Romney would win, or otherwise considered as a safe red state. Mitt Romney handily won the state with 58.32% of the vote to Barack Obama's 38.70%, a 19.62% margin of victory. He flipped seven counties that were carried by Obama in 2008, including Cass County, home to Fargo, the state's largest city.


2012 United States presidential election in North Dakota
As of 2020, this is the most recent time a Democrat won Benson, Ransom, Sargent, and Steele counties.


2012 United States presidential election in North Dakota, Republican caucuses
The 2012 North Dakota Republican caucuses were held on March 6, 2012. North Dakota has 28 delegates to the Republican National Convention; despite Rick Santorum's nominal win in the preference poll conducted during the caucuses, the majority of the delegates elected by the state party convention later in March said they supported Romney.


2012 United States presidential election in North Dakota, Republican caucuses, Convention controversy
North Dakota Republican Party had its state convention from Friday March 30 to Sunday April 1 where twenty-five unbound National Convention delegates were elected. Rick Santorum had won the strawpoll at the Legislative Districts caucuses on Super Tuesday with a large margin to Ron Paul in second place and Mitt Romney in third place. The party leaderships recommended slate of delegates was to reflect this strawpoll result. According to Santorum and Paul supporters the slate did not live up to this requirement, but gave Romney a large majority of the delegates. Former NDGOP Chairman Gary Emineth called the vote undemocratic and a railroad job.


2012 United States presidential election in North Dakota, Electors
North Dakota has 3 Electoral votes in the Electoral College. The following names pledged to Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.


2012 United States presidential election in Ohio
The 2012 United States presidential election in Ohio took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Ohio voters chose 18 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan. This election continued Ohio's bellwether streak, as the state voted for the winner of the presidency in every election from 1964 to 2016.


2012 United States presidential election in Ohio
President Obama won the popular vote in Ohio with 50.67% of the vote over Mitt Romney in second place at 47.69%, a Democratic victory margin of 2.98%. Obama's performance was a decline from 2008 when he won the state by a 4.57% margin over U.S. Senator John McCain, and he narrowly lost five counties that he won in 2008. However, he narrowly improved his margins in Cuyahoga County and Franklin County, home to the second largest city, Cleveland, and the state's capital and largest city, Columbus, respectively, allowing him to carry the state. Obama became the first Democrat to win the White House without Belmont County since 1892 and the first to win without neighboring Jefferson County since 1916.


2012 United States presidential election in Ohio
As of 2020, this is the last time the Democratic presidential nominee won Ohio, as well as the last time Wood County, Ottawa County, Sandusky County, Erie County, Stark County, Portage County, Trumbull County, and Ashtabula County have voted Democratic. This is also the last time as of 2020 that Ohio voted to the left of any of the following states: Florida, Arizona, Georgia or North Carolina.


2012 United States presidential election in Ohio, Democratic primary
The Democratic primary was held on March 6, 2012, the same day as the Republican primary. Incumbent President Barack Obama ran unopposed, and thus won all 151 of the state's delegates.


2012 United States presidential election in Ohio, Republican primary
The 2012 Ohio Republican presidential primary took place on March 6, 2012.


2012 United States presidential election in Ohio, Republican primary
Ohio has 66 delegates to the Republican National Convention. Three party officials (also known as "superdelegates") are not bound by the primary result. Forty-eight delegates are generally awarded winner-take-all by Congressional district. Another 15 delegates are awarded to the candidate who gets an outright majority statewide, or are allocated proportionately among candidates winning at least 20% of the vote if no candidate wins a majority.


2012 United States presidential election in Ohio, Republican primary
Despite an early lead in the vote count and having won most counties, Santorum's lead was reduced and overcome by Romney as Hamilton and Cuyahoga County results came in. Romney also won areas such as Akron, Youngstown, Dayton and Columbus. These and other highly populated counties would eventually go to Obama in November.


2012 United States presidential election in Ohio, Republican primary
1. In the six congressional districts where Rick Santorum submitted only a partial slate of district delegates and district alternates by the late December 2011 deadline, he will be automatically awarded only the number of delegates he submitted, assuming he wins the particular district. The Ohio Republican Party said on March 2, 2012, that the remaining delegates in such districts will be "considered unbound" until a panel composed of three members of the Ohio GOP's central committee decides which campaign (if any) is permitted to appoint such delegates.


2012 United States presidential election in Ohio, Republican primary
2. In three congressional districts (OH-6, OH-9 and OH-13), Rick Santorum did not make the district-specific portion of the ballot.


2012 United States presidential election in Ohio, Republican primary
3. In every district, each of the 6 candidates listed above appears on the "at-large" portion of the ballot. The results of the at-large ballot will determine the allocation of fifteen national convention delegates.


2012 United States presidential election in Ohio, General election
Ohio was considered a key battleground state throughout the general election campaign, and both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney campaigned extensively in the state. Some experts believe that the popularity of the auto industry bailout put in place under President Obama helped him take the state.


2012 United States presidential election in Ohio, General election
In February 2013, nineteen cases of voter fraud were investigated in Hamilton County. Three individuals were charged with voter fraud the following month, with one individual alleged to have voted six times. These incidents would not have affected the outcome of the Ohio race as President Obama ultimately carried the state by 166,272 votes.


2012 United States presidential election in Ohio, General election, Analysis
President Obama won Ohio over Governor Mitt Romney. Ohio was too close to call for a decent portion of the night. At 11:12 P.M. EST, MSNBC called Ohio for Obama. All major news networks soon followed suit. Obama's victory in Ohio was enough to push him over the 270 electoral vote line allowing him to win the election. At first the Romney campaign contested the call, but conceded at about 1:00 A.M. Obama's victory in Ohio can be attributed to several factors. Obama only won 17 out of Ohio's 88 counties.


2012 United States presidential election in Ohio, General election, Analysis
However, those 17 counties combined account for 56.56% of the state's total population. Romney did do well in most rural areas of the state, particularly in western Ohio. Romney also won all but one county in the Appalachia region, becoming the first Republican since Richard Nixon’s 2,900-plus-county landslide in 1972 to carry Belmont, Jefferson and Monroe Counties, and losing only Athens County, home of Ohio University. He also managed to flip the swing counties of Lake and Tuscarawas. Romney also did well in the northern Columbus suburbs. For Romney, most of his wins came from smaller populated counties.


2012 United States presidential election in Ohio, General election, Analysis
Obama won by comfortable margins in Franklin, Hamilton, and Lucas counties, home to the cities of Columbus, Cincinnati, and Toledo, respectively. Obama's greatest support came from northeast Ohio, centered in Cuyahoga and Summit counties, home to the cities of Cleveland and Akron, respectively, the second and fourth largest cities in the state. The surrounding Cleveland–Akron–Canton metropolitan area and the Lake Erie shore went mostly to Obama, allowing him to carry the state as a whole. Obama won statewide by 2.98%.


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma
The 2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Voters chose seven electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan. For the third election in a row since 2004, no third parties were allowed on the ballot.


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma
Oklahoma in recent years has become one of the most conservative states in the nation. For the third year in a row, the Republicans won over 65% of the vote and swept every single county in the state.


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma
With 66.77% of the popular vote to Obama's mere 33.23%, Oklahoma would prove to be Romney's third strongest state in the 2012 election after Utah and Wyoming.


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma, Democratic primary
President Obama faced four challengers in Oklahoma's Democratic primary. Challenger Randall Terry took 12 counties with candidate Jim Rogers winning in three counties. Candidates Bob Ely and Darcy Richardson also appeared on Oklahoma's ballot but failed to obtain a majority of votes in any county.


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma, Republican primary
The Republican primary took place on Super Tuesday, March 6, 2012.


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma, Republican primary
Oklahoma has 43 delegates to the 2012 Republican National Convention. Three super delegates are unbound by the primary results. 15 delegates are allocated by congressional districts, 3 delegates for each district. If a candidate gets a majority in the district, he takes all 3 delegates; if no one gets a majority, the delegates are split either 2-to-1 or 1-1-1 depending on how many candidates get at least 15% of the vote. Another 25 delegates are awarded to the candidate who wins a majority in the state, or allocated proportionately among candidates winning at least 15% of the vote statewide if no one gets majority.


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma, Republican primary, Republican Conventions for Oklahoma's Congressional Districts
Fifteen delegates to the 2012 Republican national convention were elected at congressional-district conventions March 31 to April 14, 2012 — three from each of Oklahoma's five congressional districts.


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma, Republican primary, Oklahoma Republican Convention
The Oklahoma Republican State Convention was held May 11–12, 2012 in Norman. Irregularities were reported.


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma, Republican primary, Oklahoma Republican Convention
At least two Ron Paul supporters said they were physically attacked by Romney supporters.


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma, Republican primary, Oklahoma Republican Convention
Oklahoma's (Republican) Governor Mary Fallin tried to speak at the convention. After loud chants of "Ron Paul" from the floor, she stated (referring to Romney) "We have a presidential nominee", resulting in loud booing.


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma, Republican primary, Oklahoma Republican Convention
Paul supporters said that the convention was stopped with unfinished business, without a two-thirds vote, and therefore against parliamentary procedure. It was reported that, after the convention was said to be adjourned, a partition in the room was moved, isolating many attendees from the rest of the body. The lights were turned out momentarily.


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma, Republican primary, Oklahoma Republican Convention
After the convention was stopped and the chairman left, many Paul supporters assembled outside and held a rump convention, chaired by Jake Peters, at which they elected a slate of Paul supporters as delegates to the national convention.


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma, Republican primary, Oklahoma Republican Convention
Four Paul supporters, including Jake Peters, made a formal complaint to the Oklahoma Republican Party, saying that Party rules were broken by failing to take a roll-call vote on the delegate slate and that the convention was adjourned without the required vote. The complaint asserted that state law is involved in the Republican Party's nominating process and cited case law to the effect that party process should be considered "an integral part of the State's election system".


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma, General election, Slates of electors
Democrat: Isabel Baker, Doug Dodd, Carl Downing, Connie Johnson, Judy Eason McIntyre, Mack Miller, Martha Skeeters


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma, General election, Slates of electors
Republican: David Holt, Lynn Windel, Lawrence A. Williamson, Joe Peters, Mark Thomas, Jason Cowen, Duane Crumbacher


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma, General election, By county
Note: The Oklahoma SoS website only lists the Democrat and Republican results. No third-party results are available.


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma, General election, Analysis
As expected, Mitt Romney swept every county in the state, carrying 66.77% of the vote to Obama's measly 33.23%. Romney capitalized on his strength amongst white and conservative voters – Oklahoma's population is 65.6% white (a demographic Romney won nationwide by 59% to Obama's 39%) and the state has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+20, tied for the second most Republican in the nation along with Utah. His strongest performance was in the Oklahoma Panhandle, one of the most staunchly conservative regions in the country, where he garnered 80% to 90% of the vote in many of these counties.


2012 United States presidential election in Oklahoma, General election, Analysis
Romney also performed well in the Little Dixie region and on the state's border with Texas. Despite many counties having a plurality of registered Democratic voters exceeding the number of registered Republicans (such as Comanche and Okmulgee), Obama failed to carry any counties. However, Obama was still able to garner margins of around 45% to Romney's 55% in some counties, such as Cherokee County (Obama's best performance), which is 36.4% Native American and home to the capital of the Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah, and Muskogee County, which is located in the Creek Nation. He also had a formidable, but still lackluster, performance in Oklahoma County, home to the state's capital and largest city, Oklahoma City, which is quite conservative despite being the state's most urban region.


2012 United States presidential election in Oregon
The 2012 United States presidential election in Oregon took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Oregon voters chose seven electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Representative Paul Ryan.


2012 United States presidential election in Oregon
Obama carried Oregon with 54.24% of the vote to Romney's 42.15%, a Democratic victory margin of 12.09%. The Democrats have won the state in every presidential election since 1988, and the Republicans would never seriously contest the state after the 2004 election. Though Romney won a majority of counties, his best performances were in the most sparsely populated regions of the state. Obama's win came from strong support in the densely populated northwestern region of the state, home to Oregon's largest metropolitan areas.


2012 United States presidential election in Oregon
Obama won over 75% of the vote in Multnomah County, containing Portland, as well as its surrounding counties, enough to deliver the state to the Democrats by a strong margin. However, the Republican Party managed to improve on their 2008 loss of 16.35% and flipped the counties of Jackson (home to Medford), Marion (home to Salem), and Wasco back into the Republican column.


2012 United States presidential election in Oregon
As of 2020, this is the most recent election where Columbia County and Tillamook County backed the Democratic candidate.


2012 United States presidential election in Oregon, Democratic primary
The Democratic primary was held on May 15, 2012. Barack Obama ran unopposed for the nomination.


2012 United States presidential election in Oregon, Republican primary
The Republican primary occurred on May 15, 2012. The only two candidates still in the race were Mitt Romney and U.S. Representative from Texas, Ron Paul. In addition, former Senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich had withdrawn prior to the election, but their names still appeared on the Oregon ballot.


2012 United States presidential election in Oregon, Republican primary
In order to participate in the primary, voters were required to register to vote by April 24, 2012. A closed primary was used to elect the presidential, legislative, and local partisan offices. A semi-closed primary, which allowed non-affiliated voters to participate, was used to elect the Attorney General, Secretary of State and Treasurer.


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania
The 2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Pennsylvania voters chose 20 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan. Pennsylvania's electoral vote number was a reduction from the 2008 delegation, which had 21 electors. This change was due to reapportionment following the 2010 United States Census. Pennsylvania's 20 electoral votes are allotted on a winner-take-all basis.


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania
Democratic incumbent President Barack Obama received 51.97% of the vote, beating Republican challenger Mitt Romney's 46.59%. Also on the ballot were physician Jill Stein of the Green Party and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party, who received 0.37% and 0.87%, respectively. Other candidates could run as write-in candidates, which received a total 0.2% of the vote. The state had been considered likely, but not certain, to go to Obama. While the state had voted for a Democratic since 1992, it remained competitive, especially after Bush's loss of only 2.5% in 2004.


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania
Its competitiveness was attributable to the stark contrast between the state's diverse, urban voters in areas such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh; and rural, blue-collar voters in the rest of the state. However, massive margins in the urban regions of the state and victories in the Philadelphia suburbs, Lehigh Valley, Scranton, and Erie delivered a considerable victory for the president. Regardless, Romney improved on John McCain's 10.32% loss in the state in 2008, and flipped five counties that voted for Obama four years prior.


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania
The primary election to select the Democratic and Republican candidates had been held on April 24, 2012. This was the sixth presidential election in a row where the Democratic candidate won Pennsylvania's electoral votes. However, the state would vote for Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, in 2016. Nevertheless, it would return to the Democratic column when it narrowly voted for Joe Biden in 2020.


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania
Obama became the first Democrat to win the White House without carrying Cambria County since Woodrow Wilson in 1916.


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania
This, as of 2020, is also the last time Pennsylvania voted to the right of Iowa, and to the left of Virginia or (very narrowly) to the left of Colorado (by 0.02%).


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania, Democratic primary
Incumbent Barack Obama ran unopposed on the Democratic primary ballot. He received 616,102 votes. There were 19,082 write-in votes. In the floor vote taken at the Democratic National Convention, 242 Pennsylvania delegates voted for Obama, while the other 8 of the state's 250 allocated votes were not announced.


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary
Four candidates were on the Republican primary ballot: Mitt Romney, former Senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum, U.S. Representative from Texas Ron Paul, and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. His home state was set to be the make-or-break primary for Santorum.. He had just lost 3 primaries to Romney, and Romney appeared poised to become the presumptive nominee by achieving a prohibitive lead.


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary
As momentum in the Republican race built for Romney, Santorum suspended his campaign for four days to meet with 'movement conservatives' to strategize. Former Family Research Council chief Gary Bauer, who was present at the sit-down with Santorum, called it a 'strategy meeting to discuss how Senator Santorum prevails.' But rather than returning to campaigning the next Monday, Rick and Karen Santorum canceled campaign events scheduled right after Easter weekend to be in the hospital with their youngest daughter.


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary
In deference to the sick child, Romney ceased airing attack ads, replacing them with positive introductory ones.


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania, Republican primary
On April 10, Santorum formally suspended his campaign. On May 7, he endorsed Romney. Santorum and Gingrich both released their delegates to Romney in August, shortly before the Republican National Convention.


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania, General election
In statewide opinion polling, incumbent Barack Obama consistently led challenger Mitt Romney by a margin of between 2 and 12 percentage points. Analysts rated Pennsylvania as a "likely Democratic" or "Democratic-leaning" state in the presidential race. On the morning of the election, polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight estimated that there was a 99% likelihood that Obama would win Pennsylvania's electoral votes. At the time, Pennsylvania's electoral votes had gone to the Democratic candidate in every presidential election since Bill Clinton won it in 1992. The average of the last three polls had Obama leading Romney 51% to 46%, which was very close to the actual result.


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania, General election
During the summer, there was significant spending on political advertisements in Pennsylvania, by both the Obama campaign and pro-Romney groups such as Crossroads GPS and Americans for Prosperity. However, because Obama maintained a consistent lead in polling, Pennsylvania came to be considered a "safe state" for Obama, and campaign advertising subsided substantially in August. This changed in October, when pro-Romney groups Restore Our Future and Americans for Job Security spent $3 million on advertising in Pennsylvania. Later that month, the Obama campaign and the Romney campaign both launched their own advertising campaigns in Pennsylvania.


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania, General election
On November 1, the Republican National Committee announced that it would spend $3 million on television ads in Pennsylvania in the final days of the campaign. In total, pro-Romney spending in Pennsylvania was estimated to amount to as much as $12 million, much more than Obama campaign spending. The Obama campaign characterized the pro-Romney spending surge as "an act of sheer desperation", while the Romney campaign argued that they had a realistic chance of winning the state. In the end, Obama carried the state by a modest margin, albeit narrower than his 2008 landslide over Senator John McCain.


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania, General election
As of the 2020 election, this marked the most recent time that Chester County voted for the Republican candidate, and that Luzerne County voted for the Democratic candidate.


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania, General election, By county, Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Five counties that voted for Obama in 2008 voted for Romney in 2012. This included Cambria County, which made Obama the first Democrat to win the presidency without carrying the county since Woodrow Wilson in 1916. Chester County, a Philadelphia suburb, also voted for Romney, though it would flip back into the Democratic column in 2016 and remain there in 2020.


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania, General election, By congressional district
Despite losing the state overall, Romney won 13 of Pennsylvania's 18 congressional districts. This included the 4th and 12th districts, which at the time had Democrats representing them in Congress, though ended up electing Republicans in the House elections.


2012 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania, Electors
In accordance with Commonwealth law and Chapter 1, Section 7 of Title 3, United States Code (62 Stat. 672 as amended,) the 20 Pennsylvania electors pledged for Obama and Biden cast their votes on 17 December in the State House of Representatives chamber. The Pennsylvania Democratic Committee seated the following electors for this procedure:


2012 United States presidential election in Rhode Island
The 2012 United States presidential election in Rhode Island took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Rhode Island voters chose four electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.


2012 United States presidential election in Rhode Island
Also on the ballot were Libertarian nominee, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and his running mate, jurist Jim Gray. The left-wing Green Party nominated activist and physician Jill Stein and her running mate, anti-poverty advocate Cheri Honkala.


2012 United States presidential election in Rhode Island
Rhode Island was won by Democratic nominee Obama by a 27.46% margin of victory. This was the seventh straight win for the Democratic Party in Rhode Island on the presidential level. It was also the seventh time in a row that the Democratic nominee for president won all 5 counties – a streak which would be broken when Donald Trump won Kent County in 2016 – and the sixth consecutive time that a Republican nominee failed to break 40% of the vote in the Ocean State.


2012 United States presidential election in Rhode Island
Rhode Island has been a safe Democratic state since 1988, and has only voted for a Republican nominee four times since 1928 (all of which in landslide elections). State politics are dominated by the Providence and Warwick metropolitan areas, and Providence County gave Obama his largest margin in the state at 34.92%. However, white working class voters in the inland and diverse, urban voters on the coast alike consistently vote Democratic, enough to provide the Democratic nominee with landslide margins in each election. This election is the most recent election that Rhode Island voted to the left of Massachusetts.


2012 United States presidential election in Rhode Island
As of 2020, this was the last time the towns of Burrillville, Coventry, Exeter, Foster, Glocester, Hopkinton, Johnston, North Smithfield, and Smithfield voted for the Democratic candidate in a presidential election, and the last time East Greenwich voted for the Republican candidate in a presidential election.


2012 United States presidential election in Rhode Island, Primary elections, Democratic primary
The 2012 Rhode Island Democratic primary was held April 24, 2012. Rhode Island awarded 40 delegates proportionally.


2012 United States presidential election in Rhode Island, Primary elections, Democratic primary
No candidate ran against incumbent President Barack Obama in Rhode Island's Democratic presidential preference primary. Obama received 6,759 votes, or 83.38% of the vote, with 1,133 uncomitted votes (13.98%) and 214 write-in votes (2.64%)


2012 United States presidential election in Rhode Island, Primary elections, Democratic primary
At the Rhode Island Democratic state convention held on June 21, 2012, 35 delegates were awarded to Barack Obama, with 5 delegates remaining unannounced.


2012 United States presidential election in Rhode Island, Primary elections, Republican primary
The 2012 Rhode Island Republican presidential primary took place on April 24, 2012. Former Massachusetts Governor and frontrunner Mitt Romney received 63.02% of the vote, followed by U.S. Representative from Texas Ron Paul with 23.85% and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich with 6.04%. Former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum, who dropped out on April 10, received 5.66% of the vote.


2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina
The 2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. South Carolina voters chose 9 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.


2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina
Also on the ballot were Libertarian nominee, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and his running mate, jurist Jim Gray. The left-wing Green Party nominated activist and physician Jill Stein and her running mate, anti-poverty advocate Cheri Honkala. The conservative Constitution Party nominated former U.S. Representative from Virginia Virgil Goode for president, and former Chair of the Constitution Party Jim Clymer for vice president.


2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina
Romney defeated Obama in the state by 54.56% to 44.09%, a margin of 10.47%. While the state is generally considered safe for the Republican Party, it remains somewhat competitive due to a high African-American population, the sixth-highest in the country. The majority of the Democratic vote comes from the Black Belt, with areas such as Richland and Charleston counties, home to Columbia and Charleston respectively, providing high margins for the Democrats. However, this support is largely offset by suburban and rural white voters. The state hasn't voted for a Democrat since Jimmy Carter carried it in 1976. Romney also significantly improved on John McCain 8.97% margin in 2008.


2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina
As of 2020, this is the most recent election where the counties of Barnwell, Calhoun, Chester, Colleton, Darlington, and McCormick voted for the Democratic candidate.


2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina, Democratic primary
Incumbent President Barack Obama ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and easily won with more than 99% of the vote. The Democratic primary was held on January 28, 2012, one week after the Republican primary.


2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina, Republican primary
During the primary election campaign, the candidates ran on a platform of government reform in Washington. Domestic, foreign and economic policy emerged as the main themes in the election campaign following the onset of the 2008 economic crisis, as well as policies implemented by the Obama administration. This included the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, termed "Obamacare" by its opponents, as well as government spending as a whole.


2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina, Republican primary
The primary has become one of several key early state nominating contests in the process of choosing the nominee of the Republican Party for the election for President of the United States. It has historically been more important for the Republican Party than for the Democratic Party; from its inception in 1980, until the nomination of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in 2012, the winner of the Republican presidential primary had gone on to win the nomination. As of 2012, the primary has cemented its place as the "First in the South" primary for both parties. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich was declared the winner of the race as soon as polls closed, however, Mitt Romney went on to win the nomination.


2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina, Republican primary, Date of primary
The 2012 South Carolina Republican primary was tentatively scheduled to occur on February 28, 2012, much later than the date in 2008, which almost immediately followed the beginning of the year in January 2008. On September 29, 2011, the entire schedule of caucuses and primaries was disrupted, however, when it was announced that the Republican Party of Florida had decided to move up its primary to January 31, in an attempt to bring attention to its own primary contest, and attract the presidential candidates to visit the state.


2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina, Republican primary, Date of primary
Because of the move, the Republican National Committee decided to strip Florida of half of its delegates. Also as a result, the South Carolina Republican Party, along with Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada then sought to move their primaries and caucuses back into early January. All but Nevada, who agreed to follow Florida, confirmed their caucus and primary dates to take place throughout January, with South Carolina deciding to hold their contest on January 21, 2012. It is an open primary, meaning all registered voters can participate in the primary.


2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina, Republican primary, Ballot
Nine candidates appeared on the presidential primary ballot. South Carolina had only 25 delegates up for grabs because it moved its primary to January 21. Eleven delegates were awarded for the statewide winner, Newt Gingrich, and two additional delegates were awarded to the winner of each of the seven congressional districts. Six districts were won by Gingrich, and one by Romney, giving Gingrich twelve additional delegates and Romney two delegates.


2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina, Republican primary, Results
There were 2,804,231 registered voters, for a turnout of 21.60%.


2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina, Electors
Technically the voters of South Carolina cast their ballots for electors: representatives to the Electoral College. South Carolina is allocated 9 electors because it has 7 congressional districts and 2 senators. All candidates who appear on the ballot or qualify to receive write-in votes must submit a list of 9 electors, who pledge to vote for their candidate and his or her running mate. Whoever wins the majority of votes in the state is awarded all 9 electoral votes. Their chosen electors then vote for president and vice president. Although electors are pledged to their candidate and running mate, they are not obligated to vote for them. An elector who votes for someone other than his or her candidate is known as a faithless elector.


2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina, Electors
The electors of each state and the District of Columbia met on December 19, 2016, to cast their votes for president and vice president. The Electoral College itself never meets as one body. Instead the electors from each state and the District of Columbia met in their respective capitols.


2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina, Electors
The following were the members of the Electoral College from the state. All 9 were pledged for Romney/Ryan.


2012 United States presidential election in South Dakota
The 2012 United States presidential election in South Dakota took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. South Dakota voters chose three electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.


2012 United States presidential election in South Dakota
Prior to the election, all seventeen news organizations making predictions for the election considered this a state Romney would win, or otherwise considered as a safe red state. South Dakota has not voted for a Democratic presidential nominee since Lyndon B. Johnson carried it in his 44-state landslide in 1964. South Dakota, just as all of the other states in the Great Plains, is among the most Republican states in the country.


2012 United States presidential election in South Dakota
According to a 2012 Gallup poll, South Dakota is the 9th most conservative state in the country, with Republicans having an 11 percentage point advantage over Democrats in terms of party affiliation or identification. It is also the 10th whitest state in the country as of 2012, at 83.8%, and has the 4th highest gun ownership rate in the country at 56.6%, according to the Washington Post. Both of these voting blocs are relatively solid for the Republican Party.


2012 United States presidential election in South Dakota
While Obama lost the state by only 8.41% in 2008, illustrating a potential resurgence of Democratic strength among the agrarian population as seen in states such as Iowa, the state was returned to the safe Republican column in 2012. Romney won South Dakota by an 18.02% margin of victory. Romney was able to win back southeast Dakota: Obama became competitive there in 2008, when he won Minnehaha County (and many of its suburbs), home to the state's largest city of Sioux Falls, by only 587 votes. Romney carried upwards of 60% of the vote in many counties, with his best performance in the West River. He also flipped Brown County, where Aberdeen is.


2012 United States presidential election in South Dakota
Obama's best performance was in majority Native American counties in the west of the state. He carried 93.35% of the vote in Shannon County (now known as Oglala Lakota), home to the Pine Ridge Reservation and the Oglala Lakota tribe. The counties of Buffalo; Dewey; and Todd, where the Crow Creek; Cheyenne River and Standing Rock; and Rosebud reservations are located, respectively, also delivered great margins to the president. Clay County, home to the University of South Dakota, was the only county in the southeast to vote for Obama.


2012 United States presidential election in South Dakota
As of 2020, this is the most recent election in which the Democratic candidate won Corson County, Day County, Marshall County, and Roberts County.


2012 United States presidential election in South Dakota, Republican primary
The Republican primary took place on June 5, 2012. 25 delegates will be chosen, for a total of 28 delegates to go to the national convention.


2012 United States presidential election in Tennessee
The 2012 United States presidential election in Tennessee took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Tennessee voters chose 11 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.


2012 United States presidential election in Tennessee
Romney easily carried Tennessee's 11 electoral votes after he garnered 59.48% of the popular vote in Tennessee, to Obama's 39.08%. Romney's 20.40% margin of victory was the strongest Republican performance in the state since Richard Nixon's 1972 landslide. Tennessee has not voted for a Democratic presidential nominee since 1996, when Bill Clinton won the state and many other states of the South, and the Volunteer State has not given a majority to a Democratic nominee since fellow Southerner Jimmy Carter carried it in 1976. Thus, Tennessee has been seen as part of the modern-day red wall in the 21st century.


2012 United States presidential election in Tennessee
After 1996, the state has been growing more Republican with each election. Even in 2008, when the rest of the country swung hard towards the left, John McCain's margin of victory increased to 15.06%, solidifying the state's Republican identity as East Tennessee joined the Appalachian region to become one of the most Republican areas of the country.


2012 United States presidential election in Tennessee
As consistent with the rest of the country, Obama carried heavily populated and diverse counties. The largest county, Shelby, was won by Obama by a 26.08% margin due to it being home to Memphis, Tennessee's largest city. In addition, the home of the state capital of Nashville, Davidson County, went to Obama by 18.58%. Hardeman and Haywood counties, both low-populated suburbs of Memphis, also went to Obama due to their high African American populations (42.2% and 50.6%, respectively).


2012 United States presidential election in Tennessee
However, rural areas – including areas in the northwestern portion of the state that had long favored Democratic candidates – saw heavy margins for Romney, allowing him to offset Obama's wins in large cities. The eastern region of the state in Appalachia, some of the most historically Republican and Unionist counties in the country, saw margins of over 70% for the Republican ticket.


2012 United States presidential election in Tennessee
Romney also flipped two counties, Houston and Jackson, to the Republican column. Both of these majority-white counties had been Democratic strongholds with their strong ties to secessionism: they only voted for a Republican presidential nominee once prior to this election, in 1928 and 1920, respectively.


2012 United States presidential election in Tennessee
As of 2020, this is the most recent election in which Hardeman County was won by the Democratic presidential nominee.


2012 United States presidential election in Tennessee, General election, By congressional district
Mitt Romney swept the state and carried seven of the state's nine congressional districts, all represented by Republicans. Barack Obama carried the state's two congressional districts, the 5th and 9th, anchored by the two largest cities of Nashville and Memphis, respectively.


2012 United States presidential election in Tennessee, Democratic primary
The 2012 democratic primary in Tennessee took place on Super Tuesday, March 6, 2012, with Barack Obama receiving 80,355 (88.5%) votes. Other candidates received a combined total of 10,411 (11.5%) votes. Tennessee had a total of 91 delegates to the 2012 Democratic National Convention,  of which 82 were pledged to presidential contenders depending on the popular vote. The remaining 9 super-delegates were unbound.


2012 United States presidential election in Tennessee, Republican primary
The Republican primary took place on Super Tuesday, March 6, 2012.


2012 United States presidential election in Tennessee, Republican primary
Tennessee has 58 delegates to the 2012 Republican National Convention. Three superdelegates are unbound. 27 delegates are awarded by congressional district, 3 delegates for each district. If a candidate wins two-thirds of the vote in a district, he takes all 3 delegates there; if not, delegates are split 2-to-1 between the top two candidates. Another 28 delegates are awarded to the candidate who wins two-thirds of the vote statewide, or allocated proportionately among candidates winning at least 20% of the vote if no one gets two-thirds.


2012 United States presidential election in Tennessee, Republican primary
Former Senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum won the primary with a plurality, carrying 37.11% of the vote and all but four counties, awarding him 29 delegates. Former Massachusetts Governor and eventual nominee, Mitt Romney, came second with 28.06% of the vote and 19 delegates. He carried only three counties: Davidson, Loudon, and Williamson. Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich of neighboring Georgia, came third with 23.96% of the vote and 9 delegates, carrying only the county of Marion. Representative from Texas Ron Paul received 9.04% of the vote and all other candidates received under 1% of the vote.


2012 United States presidential election in Texas
The 2012 United States presidential election in Texas took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Texas voters chose 38 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.


2012 United States presidential election in Texas
As one of the largest Republican strongholds in the country, Romney won the Lone Star State with 57.17%, over Obama's 41.38%, a margin of 15.78%. As in past elections, Obama and the Democrats dominated the Rio Grande Valley, winning upwards of 70% or 80% of the vote in most of these counties, with his best performance in Starr County at 86.34% to Romney's 13.02%, a 73.32% margin.


2012 United States presidential election in Texas
Furthermore, he won the major urban centers of Austin, El Paso, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, but Republicans were able to overwhelm the urban vote by sweeping the vast rural areas and suburbs of Texas by large margins. Romney also came extremely close to carrying Harris County, home to Houston, which Obama carried by only 0.08%, or 971 votes. In the process, Romney beat George W. Bush's 2004 record of the most votes for a presidential candidate in Texas, a record later surpassed in 2016 by Donald Trump and in 2020 by both Trump and Joe Biden.


2012 United States presidential election in Texas
By receiving 95.86% of the vote in King County, Romney also recorded the highest proportion of any county's vote cast for one candidate since Barry Goldwater received between 95.92 and 96.59% of the vote in seven Mississippi counties in Mississippi in 1964 – although this occurred when African-American majorities in these counties had been almost totally disenfranchised for seven-and-a-half decades.


2012 United States presidential election in Texas
Texas's 38 electoral votes were Romney's largest electoral prize in the election. The state solidified its Republican identity in the Reagan Era and had not voted for a Democratic presidential nominee since fellow Southerner Jimmy Carter carried it in 1976. The oil industry is the driving factor of the state's economy, with numerous oil companies such as ExxonMobil being based in the state, and consequently the state has rejected the Democratic Party which has increasingly embraced environmentalist policies. In addition, moderate Republicans' popularity among suburban Texans boosted their support.


2012 United States presidential election in Texas
However, although Romney improved on John McCain's 2008 performance, this election solidified the Texan urban areas' move away from the GOP. Dallas and Harris Counties, home to Dallas and Houston, respectively, both of which flipped in 2008, remained blue this year, setting the stage for suburban areas beginning to slip from the Republican Party.


2012 United States presidential election in Texas
As a result, this is the last time a Republican won Texas by a double-digit margin of victory. Following this election and the loss of the Republican Party's former hold on the vast suburbs of Austin, Dallas–Fort Worth, and Houston, it would become a Republican-leaning state, voting for Donald Trump by only 8.99% in 2016 and 5.58% in 2020.


2012 United States presidential election in Texas
As of 2020, this is the last election in which Fort Bend County voted for the Republican nominee and the last time Jefferson County voted for the Democratic nominee. This election is also the last time Texas voted to the right of Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Montana.


2012 United States presidential election in Texas, Democratic primary
The 2012 Texas Democratic Primary was held on May 29, 2012. Incumbent Barack Obama, who was running for the nomination without any major opposition, won the primary with 88.18% of the vote, and was awarded all of Texas' 287 delegates to the 2012 Democratic National Convention.


2012 United States presidential election in Texas, Republican primary
152 delegates were chosen, for a total of 155 delegates to go to the national convention.


2012 United States presidential election in Texas, Republican primary
The election was originally scheduled to take place on Super Tuesday, March 6. Due to litigation over the state's redistricting following the 2010 United States Census, it was rescheduled for April 3. That date also became uncertain and the primary was expected to be held, at the earliest, in late May 2012, with both May 22 and May 29 being proposed. U.S. District Court judge Xavier Rodriguez, one of the three judges overseeing the litigation, had suggested a June 26 date for the election. Finally, on March 1, 2012, the court issued an order setting the date of the primary to May 29, 2012.


2012 United States presidential election in Utah
The 2012 United States presidential election in Utah took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Utah voters chose six electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.


2012 United States presidential election in Utah
Prior to the election, all 17 news organizations making election predictions considered this a state Romney would win, or otherwise considered as a safe red state. Utah is among the most heavily Republican states, voting for the Republican ticket in every presidential election after 1964 and all but once since 1952, and is also the only state to have a majority Mormon population, benefiting Romney, the first Mormon to head a major party presidential ticket.


2012 United States presidential election in Utah
Romney won in a landslide, carrying 72.62% of the vote to Obama's 24.69%, a margin of 47.93% or 488,787 votes, the best raw vote margin in the state's history to date. He won every county in the state by margins of over 15%, except for Grand and Summit Counties, home to the cities of Moab and Park City, respectively. Romney flipped these counties along with Salt Lake County, where the state's largest city, Salt Lake City, is located.


2012 United States presidential election in Utah
With a 47.93% margin, Utah would prove to be Romney's strongest state in the 2012 election, and it would also be Romney's largest outperformance of John McCain in 2008, winning the state by almost 20 points more. Romney would go on to be elected as a United States Senator from Utah six years later in 2018 after having switched his residence to the Beehive State. Romney's vote share in Utah was also the highest of any presidential nominee in any state since Ronald Reagan's in Utah in 1984, and remains so as of 2020.


2012 United States presidential election in Utah
Romney's landslide win would also foreshadow Utah's considerable swing to the center in the elections following. Romney, who became a heavy critic of later-President Donald Trump, played a factor in Trump's mere 20.48% win in 2020, representing a significant decline in support for the Republican Party likely attributable to Romney's popularity among Utah voters.


2012 United States presidential election in Utah
As of 2020, this is the last time the Republican nominee won Utah with more than 60% of the vote, the last time any statewide candidate won 70% of the vote, as well as the last time they won every county. It is also the last election in which Salt Lake County and Summit County have voted for the Republican presidential nominee. This is the last time Utah has been the most Republican state in the United States, and the last time Utah voted to the right of any of the following: Wyoming, West Virginia, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Idaho, Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, South Dakota or Nebraska's 3rd congressional district.


2012 United States presidential election in Utah, Democratic primary
Due to President Barack Obama running for reelection without serious opposition from the Democratic Party in 2012, no Democratic Primary was held in Utah.


2012 United States presidential election in Utah, Republican primary
The Republican primary took place on 26 June 2012. 37 delegates were chosen, for a total of 40 delegates to go to the national convention, all pledged to the primary winner.


2012 United States presidential election in Utah, Republican primary
In 2008, Mitt Romney received major support from the Mormon (Latter Day Saints) and other religious population and was able to carry the state with 93.07% of the vote. Romney led the polling in 2012 and won the primary by more than a landslide, and no other candidate could either scrape past 5% of the vote, awarding him all 40 delegates.


2012 United States presidential election in Utah, Results, By congressional district
Mitt Romney won all four congressional districts, including the 4th district, which elected a Democrat, Jim Matheson, to Congress in the same election.


2012 United States presidential election in Vermont
The 2012 United States presidential election in Vermont took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Vermont voters chose three electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.


2012 United States presidential election in Vermont
A very liberal Northeastern state, and a former bastion of progressive Republicanism until the realignment election of 1992, Vermont was the second most Democratic state in the nation, weighing in as a whopping 31.74% more Democratic than the national average in the 2012 election. Repeating his success from 2008, Obama again carried Vermont in a landslide, taking 66.57% of the vote to Romney's 30.97%, a Democratic victory margin of 35.60%. Though this was slightly worse than his 2008 performance, when he received 67.46% of the vote to Republican Senator John McCain's 30.45%, a margin of 37.01%, this was still the second best performance for a Democrat in Vermont history, surpassing Lyndon B. Johnson's 1964 performance.


2012 United States presidential election in Vermont
Vermont historically was a bastion of northeastern Republicanism, voting Republican in every single election but one between 1856 to 1988, interrupted only in 1964. It also elected solely Republican governors from 1854 to 1962. However, after migration from liberal northeastern cities such as Boston and New York to Vermont in the 1960s and 70s, it shifted sharply towards the Democratic Party with Bill Clinton's landslide victory in 1992, and has been part of the "Blue Wall" – the 19 jurisdictions, worth 238 electoral votes, that voted Democratic six times in a row from 1992 through 2012 – ever since.


2012 United States presidential election in Vermont
Vermont also has one of the greenest economies in the country, with its own Clean Air Act and a state trust that buys farmland to support local farming. This, and a virtual nonexistence of party loyalty in the state, guaranteed Obama's landslide victory. The Green Mountain State's original constitution abolished slavery and provided universal male suffrage, and the state government legalized same-sex civil unions in July 2000, same-sex marriage in 2009, and decriminalized marijuana in 2013.


2012 United States presidential election in Vermont
Obama's best performance was in Windham County, where he received 73.06% of the vote, though he also racked up great margins in Chittenden, Rutland, and Washington Counties, the state's three largest counties and home to Burlington, Rutland, and the state capital of Montpelier, respectively. The only county where he won by a margin of less than 20% is in Essex County in the Northeast Kingdom, generally the most conservative region in the state, where he won by 13.40%.


2012 United States presidential election in Vermont
The results of the 2012 election made Vermont the second most Democratic state in the nation, only surpassed by the 42.71% margin in Obama's birth state of Hawaii.


2012 United States presidential election in Vermont
As of 2020, this is the last election in which the Democrat won Essex County, and by extension, every county in the state.


2012 United States presidential election in Vermont, Democratic primary
The Democratic primary took place on Super Tuesday, March 6, 2012. Incumbent President Barack Obama ran unopposed. According to the Secretary of State of Vermont's office, he received 40,247 votes (97.28%) and all of the 27 delegates attending the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina pledged to support his re-nomination. The remaining 2.72% of the vote was made up of 675 write-ins (1.63%) and 450 blank votes (1.09%).


2012 United States presidential election in Vermont, Republican primary
The Republican primary also took place on Super Tuesday, March 6, 2012.


2012 United States presidential election in Vermont, Republican primary
Vermont has 17 delegates to the 2012 Republican National Convention. Three superdelegates are bound by the primary results and awarded on a winner-take-all basis. The remaining 14 are awarded winner-take-all to the candidate who wins at least 50% of the vote statewide, or allocated proportionately among candidates winning at least 20% of the vote statewide if no one gets a majority.


2012 United States presidential election in Vermont, Republican primary
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney won the primary with a plurality, receiving 24,008 votes (39.45%) and 9 delegates. He won every single county. Representative from Texas's 14th district Ron Paul placed in second with 15,391 votes, or 25.29%, while former Senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum received 14,368 votes, or 23.61%. Both were awarded 4 delegates. The only other candidate to receive over 5% of the vote was former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, with 8.13% of the vote.


2012 United States presidential election in Virginia
The 2012 United States presidential election in Virginia took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Virginia voters chose 13 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan.


2012 United States presidential election in Virginia
Virginia was won by Obama with 51.16% of the vote to Romney's 47.28%, a 3.88% margin of victory. Third parties and write-ins received a cumulative 60,147 votes, representing 1.56% of the vote. In 2008, Obama won the state by 6.30%, becoming the first Democratic presidential nominee to win it since Lyndon B. Johnson's nationwide Democratic landslide of 1964, but it had otherwise been a reliably Republican state prior to this. However, 2008 represented a realignment election for Virginia.


2012 United States presidential election in Virginia
Much of the Democratic gains were attributed to the growth of progressive suburban Northern Virginia, particularly in Fairfax County, Loudoun County, and Prince William County, all of which voted for Obama twice despite becoming Republican strongholds after 1964. The Northern Virginia suburbs are generally dominated by Washington, D.C., the most Democratic region in the country, and increasing minority populations have turned Virginia from a Republican stronghold to a Democratic one.


2012 United States presidential election in Virginia
Following this election, as well as the 2013 gubernatorial and 2014 Senate elections, Virginia would not be closely contested by the Republican Party, as margins increased for the Democratic Party statewide post-2014. Obama's increased strength in this heavily populated region more than canceled out his weakness across rural Virginia, which, similar to the rest of Appalachia, swung towards the Republican Party in 2008 due to the Democrats' increasingly environmentalist policies. Obama suffered a historically poor showing even in traditionally Democratic counties of Southwest Virginia, similar to his weak performance in neighboring West Virginia.


2012 United States presidential election in Virginia
This would ultimately foreshadow 2016, when the Republican nominee won the election without carrying Virginia for the first time since 1924. Despite its narrow margin, this was the last election in which Virginia was a seriously contested state, as it would move on to be reliably Democratic in succeeding presidential elections.


2012 United States presidential election in Virginia
Obama's 2012 win made him the first Democrat since Franklin D. Roosevelt to carry Virginia in two consecutive elections. The Democratic margin of victory also made 2012 the first time since 1948 that Virginia voted more Democratic than the nation as a whole, albeit by a narrow advantage of 0.02%: Obama carried Virginia by 3.88%, while winning nationally by 3.86%. This was the first election since 1976 in which Virginia did not vote in the same way as neighboring North Carolina.


2012 United States presidential election in Virginia
As of 2020, this was the last time the Republican nominee won Montgomery County, and the last time the Democratic nominee won Buckingham County in a statewide election, along with the independent city of Covington. It is also the last time the Democratic presidential nominee won Caroline, Essex, Nelson, or Westmoreland Counties. To date, this is also the last time Virginia voted to the right of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Maine, Minnesota, Iowa, or Nevada.


2012 United States presidential election in Virginia, Democratic primary
Because incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama faced no serious opposition from within his party in seeking reelection, no Democratic primary was held.


2012 United States presidential election in Virginia, Republican primary
The Republican primary took place on Super Tuesday, March 6, 2012.


2012 United States presidential election in Virginia, Republican primary
Virginia has 49 delegates to the 2012 Republican National Convention including three unbound superdelegates. 33 delegates are awarded on a winner-take-all basis by congressional district. The other 13 are awarded to the candidate who wins a majority statewide, or allocated proportionally if no one gets majority.


2012 United States presidential election in Virginia, Republican primary, Ballot
Only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul appeared on the ballot. Other candidates failed to submit the necessary 10,000 signatures (including at least 400 from each of the state's 11 congressional districts) required to get on the ballot by the deadline of 22 December 2011.


2012 United States presidential election in Virginia, Republican primary, Ballot
On 27 December, Rick Perry filed a lawsuit – joined later by Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum – in the federal District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Richmond that challenged provisions that determine who can appear on the primary ballot.