View source for 2012 United States presidential election

{{About|the United States presidential election held in 2012|information about other elections held within the United States in 2012|United States elections, 2012}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = United States presidential election, 2012
| country = United States
| type = presidential
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = United States presidential election, 2008
| previous_year = 2008
| next_election = United States presidential election, 2016
| next_year = 2016
| election_date = November 6, 2012
| votes_for_election = 538 [[electoral votes]] of the [[Electoral College (United States)|Electoral College]]
| needed_votes = 270 electoral
| turnout = 58.2% (voting eligible)<ref name="VEP12">{{cite web |url=http://elections.gmu.edu/Turnout_2012G.html |title=2012 General Election Turnout Rates |publisher=[[George Mason University]] |author=McDonald, Michael |date=March 25, 2013 |accessdate=April 12, 2013}}</ref>
| image1 = [[File:Obama portrait crop.jpg|145px]]
| nominee1 = '''[[Barack Obama]]'''
| party1 = Democratic Party (United States)
| home_state1 = [[Illinois]]
| running_mate1 = '''[[Joe Biden]]'''
| electoral_vote1 = '''332'''
| states_carried1 = '''26 + [[Washington, D.C.|DC]]'''
| popular_vote1 = '''65,917,257'''<ref name="FEC">{{cite web |url=http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2012/2012presgeresults.pdf |title=Official 2012 Presidential Election Results |publisher=[[Federal Elections Commission]] |author=FEC |date=January 17, 2013 |accessdate=May 21, 2013}}</ref><ref name="docs.google.com">Wasserman, David. ''[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/lv?key=0AjYj9mXElO_QdHpla01oWE1jOFZRbnhJZkZpVFNKeVE&toomany=true]''.</ref>
| percentage1 = '''51.1%'''<ref name="FEC" /><ref name="docs.google.com"/>
| image2 = [[File:Mitt Romney by Gage Skidmore 6 cropped.jpg|146px]]
| nominee2 = [[Mitt Romney]]
| party2 = Republican Party (United States)
| home_state2 = [[Massachusetts]]
| running_mate2 = [[Paul Ryan]]
| electoral_vote2 = 206
| states_carried2 = 24
| popular_vote2 = 60,932,235<ref name="FEC" /><ref name="docs.google.com"/>
| percentage2 = 47.2%<ref name="FEC" /><ref name="docs.google.com"/>
| map = {{United States presidential election, 2012 imagemap}}            
| map_size = 349px
| map_caption = Presidential election results map. <span style="color:blue;">Blue</span> denotes states/districts won by Obama/Biden. <span style="color:#c20;">Red</span> denotes those won by Romney/Ryan. Numbers indicate [[electoral votes]] allotted to the winner of each state.
| title = President
| before_election = [[Barack Obama]]
| before_party = Democratic Party (United States)
| after_election = [[Barack Obama]]
| after_party = Democratic Party (United States)
}}
{{US 2012 elections series}}
{{Wikinewshas|[[n:Category:2012 United States presidential election|related news]]|{{Wikinewshas/USPE12}}}}

The '''United States presidential election of 2012''' was the 57th quadrennial [[United States presidential election|presidential election]]. It was held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. The [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee, incumbent [[President of the United States|President]] [[Barack Obama]], and his [[running mate]], [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] [[Joe Biden]], were re-elected to a second term, defeating the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee, former [[Governor of Massachusetts|Massachusetts Governor]] [[Mitt Romney]], and his running mate, [[United States House of Representatives|Representative]] [[Paul Ryan]] of [[Wisconsin]].

As the incumbent president, Obama secured the Democratic nomination with no serious opposition. The Republican Party was more fractured; Mitt Romney was consistently competitive in the polls, but faced challenges from a number of more conservative challengers whose popularity each fluctuated, often besting Romney's. Romney effectively secured the nomination by early May as the economy improved, albeit at a persistently laggard rate. The campaign was marked by a sharp rise in fundraising, including from new nominally independent [[Super PACs]]. The campaigns focused heavily on domestic issues: debate centered largely around the appropriate response to the [[Great Recession]] in terms of economic recovery and job creation - Romney highlighted his successes in both the private sector and as [[Governor of Massachusetts]], while Obama heavily ridiculed them. Other issues included long-term federal budget issues, the future of [[social insurance|social insurance programs]], and the [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act|Affordable Care Act]]. [[Foreign policy]] was also discussed including the phase out of the [[Iraq War]], the size of and spending on the military, and appropriate responses to terrorism.

Obama would go on to become just the third Democrat to win a majority of the popular vote more than once as well as 332 electoral votes to Romney's 206. Obama carried all states and districts (among states that allocate electoral votes by district) that he had won in [[United States presidential election, 2008|2008]] except [[United States presidential election in North Carolina, 2012|North Carolina]], [[United States presidential election in Indiana, 2012|Indiana]], and [[United States presidential election in Nebraska, 2012|Nebraska's 2nd congressional district]].

==Timeline==
[[Image:Poll Closing Times 2008.svg|thumb|Final poll closing times on Election Day.
{{legend|#D8BFD8|7PM [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]] [00:00 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]] (6)}}
{{legend|#EE82EE|7:30PM EST [00:30 UTC] (3)}}
{{legend|#BA55D3|8PM EST [01:00 UTC] (15+DC)}}
{{legend|#9932CC|8:30PM EST [01:30 UTC] (1)}}
{{legend|#8B008B|9PM EST [02:00 UTC] (15)}}
{{legend|#4B0082|10PM EST [03:00 UTC] (4)}}
{{legend|#483D8B|11PM EST [04:00 UTC] (5)}}
{{legend|#000000|1AM EST [06:00 UTC] (1)}}]]
* September–October 2012 – Early voting began in some states and continued as late as November 5.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.270towin.com/early-voting-2012-election/|title=Early Voting 2012 Presidential Election|accessdate=November 7, 2012}}</ref>
* November 6, 2012 – [[Election Day (United States)|Election Day]]; at around 11:15 PM [[Eastern Standard Time (North America)|EST]], the networks called Ohio for Obama, projecting him the winner of the election.
* November 7, 2012 – Romney conceded the election to Obama at around 1:00 AM [[Eastern Standard Time (North America)|EST]].
* November 10, 2012 – The electoral outcomes of all 50 states and the District of Columbia had been definitively projected (the electoral outcome in Florida remained uncertain until November 10). Obama won 332 electoral votes while Romney won 206 electoral votes.
* December 17, 2012 – The [[Electoral College (United States)|Electoral College]] formally re-elected President Obama and Vice President Biden.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2012/12/17/electoral-college-set-to-affirm-obama-re-election | title=Electoral College vote affirms Obama re-election | work=[[U.S. News & World Report]] | date=December 17, 2012 | accessdate=December 21, 2012 | author=Bakst, Brian}}</ref>
* January 3, 2013 – The [[113th United States Congress|113th Congress]] was sworn in.
* January 4, 2013 – Electoral votes were formally counted before a joint session of Congress. President Obama's and Vice President Biden's re-election was certified.
* January 20, 2013 – President Obama and Vice President Biden took the [[Oath of office of the President of the United States|oaths of office]]; Obama's second presidential term began at noon.
* January 21, 2013 – The [[Second inauguration of Barack Obama|inauguration ceremonies]] were held.<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/22/us-usa-inauguration-idUSBRE90I04I2013012 "Confident Obama lays out battle plan as he launches second term"], [[Reuters]]. January 21, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2013</ref>

==Electoral college changes==
The [[2010 United States Census|2010 Census]] changed the [[Electoral College (United States)|electoral vote]] apportionment for the presidential elections from 2012 to 2020 in the states listed below:

{| class=wikitable
|+ Changes in electoral vote apportionment (<span style="color:#006400;">increases in green</span>, <span style="color:#C35617;">decreases in orange</span>) following the 2010 Census.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://2010.census.gov/news/pdf/apport2010_table1.pdf |title=Table 1. Apportionment Population and Number of Representatives, by State: 2010 Census |date=December 21, 2010 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=December 30, 2010}}</ref>
|- valign=top
|
<span>'''States won by Democrats<br>in [[United States presidential election, 2000|2000]], [[United States presidential election, 2004|2004]], and [[United States presidential election, 2008|2008]]'''</span>
* <span style="color:#C35617;">Illinois −1</span>
* <span style="color:#C35617;">Massachusetts −1</span>
* <span style="color:#C35617;">Michigan −1</span>
* <span style="color:#C35617;">New Jersey −1</span>
* <span style="color:#C35617;">New York −2</span>
* <span style="color:#C35617;">Pennsylvania −1</span>
* <span style="color:#006400;">Washington +1</span>
|
<span>'''States won by Republicans<br>in 2000, 2004, and 2008'''</span>
* <span style="color:#006400;">Arizona +1</span>
* <span style="color:#006400;">Georgia +1</span>
* <span style="color:#C35617;">Louisiana −1</span>
* <span style="color:#C35617;">Missouri −1</span>
* <span style="color:#006400;">South Carolina +1</span>
* <span style="color:#006400;">Texas +4</span>
* <span style="color:#006400;">Utah +1</span>
|
<span>'''Swing states'''</span>
* <span style="color:#006400;">Florida (Democratic in 2008, Republican in 2000 and 2004) +2</span>
* <span style="color:#C35617;">Iowa (Democratic in 2000 and 2008, Republican in 2004) −1</span>
* <span style="color:#006400;">Nevada (Democratic in 2008, Republican in 2000 and 2004) +1</span>
* <span style="color:#C35617;">Ohio (Democratic in 2008, Republican in 2000 and 2004) −2</span>
|}
{|
|-
|[[File:ElectoralCollege2008.svg|thumb|310px|The electoral map in [[United States presidential election, 2008|2008]].]]
|[[File:Electoral College 2012.svg|thumb|310px|Changes in electoral vote apportionment following the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].]]
|}
Eight states (Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington) gained votes due to reapportionment based on the 2010 Census. Ten states (Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania) lost votes. This gave the Democratic Party a net loss of six electoral votes in states won by Democratic nominees in the previous three presidential elections, rendering the party a national total of 242 electoral votes. Conversely, the Republican Party achieved a net gain of six electoral votes in states won by Republican nominees in the previous three presidential elections, rendering the Republican Party a national total of 180 electoral votes.

==State changes to voter registration and electoral rules==
In 2011, several state legislatures passed new voting laws, especially pertaining to voter identification, with the stated purpose of combating [[voter fraud]]; the laws were attacked, however, by the Democratic Party as attempts to suppress voting among its supporters and to improve the Republican Party's presidential prospects. Florida, Georgia, Ohio,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-callahan/ohios-voter-id-law-and-th_b_840399.html |title=David Callahan: Ohio's Voter ID Law and the 2012 Election |work= Huffington Post Politics blog |accessdate=October 20, 2011 |date=March 25, 2011}}</ref> Tennessee, and West Virginia's state legislatures approved measures to shorten early voting periods. Florida and Iowa barred all felons from voting. Kansas, South Carolina,<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www2.counton2.com/news/2011/feb/24/sc-voter-id-law-passes-ar-1502939/ |title=New SC voter ID requirements clears Senate |publisher=WCBD-TV 2 |location =Charleston |accessdate=October 20, 2011}}</ref> Tennessee, Texas<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/48957.html |title=Rick Perry's agenda may signal run for W.H.&nbsp;– Andy Barr |publisher=Politico.Com |accessdate=October 20, 2011}}</ref> and Wisconsin<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2011/aug/18/next-election-surprising-reality/?pagination=false#fnr-4 |title=The Next Election: The Surprising Reality by Andrew Hacker |newspaper=The New York Review of Books|accessdate=October 20, 2011}}</ref> state legislatures passed [[Voter ID laws (United States)|laws requiring voters to have government-issued IDs]] before they could cast their ballots. This meant, typically, that people without driver's licenses or passports had to gain new forms of ID. Obama, the [[NAACP]], and the Democratic Party fought against many of the new state laws.<ref name="rollingstone">{{cite news |author=Ari Berman |url= http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-gop-war-on-voting-20110830 |title=The GOP War on Voting |work=Rolling Stone |location =New York |date=August 30, 2011 |accessdate=October 20, 2011}}</ref> Former President [[Bill Clinton]] denounced them, saying, "There has never been in my lifetime, since we got rid of the [[Poll tax (United States)|poll tax]] and all the [[Jim Crow laws|Jim Crow burdens]] on voting, the determined effort to limit the franchise that we see today".<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/58419.html#ixzz1Y5IFU8Aq |title=Bill Clinton likens GOP effort to Jim Crow laws&nbsp;– Darren Samuelsohn |publisher=Politico.Com |accessdate=October 20, 2011}}</ref> He was referring to Jim Crow laws passed in southern states near the turn of the twentieth century that [[Disfranchisement after Reconstruction era|disfranchised]] most blacks from voting and excluded them from the political process for more than six decades. Clinton said the moves would effectively disfranchise core voter blocs that trend liberal, including college students, Blacks, and Latinos.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-rewriting-state-election-laws-in-ways-that-could-hurt-democrat/2011/09/15/gIQApcuhVK_story.html |title=Republicans rewriting state election laws in ways that could hurt Democrat |work=The Washington Post |date=May 23, 2011 |accessdate=October 20, 2011 |first=Felicia |last=Sonmez}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.suntimes.com/news/jackson/7617828-417/38-states-rigging-voting-rules-for-gop.html |title=38-states-rigging-voting-rules-for-GOP |work=Chicago Sun-Times |author=Jackson, Jesse |accessdate=October 20, 2011}}</ref> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine criticized the [[American Legislative Exchange Council]] for lobbying in states to bring about these laws, to "solve" a problem that does not exist.<ref name="rollingstone"/> The Obama campaign fought against the Ohio law, pushing for a petition and statewide referendum to repeal it in time for the 2012 election.<ref>{{cite news |last=Provance |first=Jim |url= http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2011/08/31/Obama-campaign-fighting-Ohio-law.html |title=Obama campaign fighting Ohio voting law |newspaper=Toledo Blade |accessdate=October 20, 2011}}</ref>

In addition, the [[Pennsylvania]] legislature proposed a plan to change its representation in the electoral college from the traditional winner-take-all model to a district-by-district model.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://theweek.com/article/index/219241/pennsylvanias-democrat-screwing-2012-genius-plan |title=Pennsylvania's 'Democrat-screwing' 2012 'genius plan' |newspaper=The Week |location =New York |date=September 15, 2011 |accessdate=October 20, 2011}}</ref> As the governorship and both houses of its legislature were Republican-controlled, the move was viewed by some as an attempt to reduce Democratic chances.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11256/1174283-454.stm |title=Change proposed for state's electoral vote process |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=September 13, 2011 |accessdate=October 20, 2011 |first=Laura |last=Olson}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Rosenbaum |first=Ron |url= http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2011/09/13/pennsylvania_ponders_bold_democrat_screwing_electoral_plan.html |title=Pennsylvania Ponders Bold Democrat-Screwing Electoral Plan |work=Slate.com |date=September 13, 2011 |accessdate=October 20, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/sep/15/pennsylvania-gop-looks-split-electoral-votes/?page=1 |title=Pennsylvania GOP looks to split electoral votes |work=The Washington Times |date=September 15, 2011 |accessdate=October 20, 2011}}</ref>

==Nominations==

===Democratic Party===
{{main|Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2012|2012 Democratic National Convention}}

====Primaries====
With an incumbent president running for re-election against token opposition, the race for the Democratic nomination was largely uneventful. The nomination process consisted of [[United States presidential primary|primaries and caucuses]], held by the 50 states, as well as [[Guam]], [[Puerto Rico]], [[Washington, D.C.]], [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], [[American Samoa]], and the [[Northern Mariana Islands]]. Additionally, high-ranking party members known as [[superdelegate]]s each received one vote in the convention. A few of the primary challengers surpassed the president's vote total in individual counties in several of the seven contested primaries, though none made a significant impact in the delegate count. Running unopposed everywhere else, President Obama cemented his status as the Democratic [[presumptive nominee]] on April 3, 2012 by securing the minimum number of pledged delegates needed to clinch the nomination.<ref>Jackson, David (April 4, 2012)[http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/04/this-just-in-obama-clinches-democratic-nomination/1#.T4R3afJmnj5 "It's official: Obama clinches Democratic nomination"], ''[[USA Today]]''. Retrieved April 10, 2012.</ref><ref>(April 4, 2012) [http://whitehouse.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/04/obama-clinches-democratic-nomination/ "Obama Clinches Democratic Nomination"], [[CNN]]. Retrieved April 12, 2012.</ref>

====Candidates====
*  [[Barack Obama]], [[President of the United States]] from [[Illinois]]

<gallery>
File:Official portrait of Barack Obama.jpg|[[President of the United States|President]] '''[[Barack Obama]]'''
</gallery>

===Republican Party===
{{Main|Republican Party presidential primaries, 2012|Prelude to the Republican presidential primaries, 2012|Republican Party presidential debates, 2012|2012 Republican National Convention}}

====Primaries====
Candidates with considerable name recognition who entered the race for the Republican presidential nomination in the early stages of the primary campaign included [[United States House of Representatives|Congressman]] and former Libertarian nominee [[Ron Paul]], former Governor [[Tim Pawlenty]], who co-chaired [[John McCain]]'s campaign in 2008, former Governor [[Mitt Romney]], the runner-up for the nomination in the 2008 cycle, and former [[Speaker of the House]] [[Newt Gingrich]].

The first debate took place on May 5, 2011 in [[Greenville, South Carolina]], with businessman [[Herman Cain]], former New Mexico Governor [[Gary Johnson]], [[Ron Paul]], [[Tim Pawlenty]], and former Pennsylvania Senator [[Rick Santorum]] participating. Another debate took place a month later, with [[Newt Gingrich]], [[Mitt Romney]], former Utah Governor [[Jon Huntsman, Jr.|Jon Huntsman]], and Rep. [[Michele Bachmann]] participating, and Gary Johnson excluded. A total of thirteen debates were held before the Iowa caucuses.

The first major event of the campaign was the [[Ames Straw Poll]], which took place in Iowa on August 13, 2011. Michele Bachmann won the straw poll (this ultimately proved to be the acme of her campaign).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldman |first=Russell |url=http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/bachmann-drops-out-of-presidential-race/ |title=Michele Bachmann Drops Out of Presidential Race |publisher=ABC News |date=July 5, 2012}}</ref> Pawlenty withdrew from the race after a poor showing in the straw poll, as did [[Thaddeus McCotter]], the only candidate among those who qualified for the ballot who was refused entrance into the debate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/61098.html|title=Barred hopefuls make debate plans |last=Summers |first=Juana |date=August 11, 2011 |work=[[Politico (newspaper)|Politico]] |accessdate=July 5, 2012}}</ref>

It became clear at around this point in the nomination process that while Romney was considered to be the likely nominee by the Republican establishment, a large segment of the [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]] primary electorate found him to be too [[moderate]] for their tastes. As a result, a number of potential "anti-Romney" candidates were put forward,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/01/09/us-campaign-romney-idINDEE80804P20120109|title=Romney's rivals running out of time to stop him|first=Tim|last=Reid|date=January 9, 2012|work=[[Reuters]]|accessdate=July 5, 2012}}</ref><ref>Norington, Brad [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/romney-has-money-but-lacks-conviction/story-e6frg6ux-1226285540352 "Romney has money but lacks conviction"], ''[[The Australian]]''. Retrieved July 12, 2012.</ref> including [[Donald Trump]],<ref>Cohn, Alicia M. [http://thehill.com/video/campaign/198319-trump-romney-lacks-the-courage-to-participate-in-his-debate "Trump says Romney lacks the 'courage' to participate in Newsmax debate"], ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]''. Retrieved July 12, 2012.</ref> [[Sarah Palin]],<ref>Stanley, Timothy (March 30, 2012) [http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/29/opinion/stanley-sarah-palin/ "If only Sarah Palin had run ..."], [[CNN]]. Retrieved July 12, 2012.</ref> [[Michele Bachmann]], and Texas Governor [[Rick Perry]],<ref>Cohen, Tom; Silverleib, Alan (September 1, 2011) [http://articles.cnn.com/2011-09-01/politics/republican.nomination_1_romney-and-bachmann-tea-party-sarah-palin?_s=PM:POLITICS "Seeking the 'anti-Romney' in the Republican presidential race"], [[CNN]].com. Retrieved July 12, 2012.</ref> the last of whom decided to run in August 2011. Perry did poorly in the debates, however, and [[Herman Cain]] and then [[Newt Gingrich]] came into the fore in October and November.

Due to a number of scandals, Cain withdrew just before the end of the year, after having gotten on the ballot in several states.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/herman-cain-suspends-presidential-campaign-1.3355834|title=Herman Cain suspends presidential campaign|date=December 3, 2011|work=Newsday|accessdate=July 5, 2012}}</ref> At around the same time, Johnson, who had been able to get into only one other debate, withdrew in order to seek the [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]] nomination.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/12/28/liberated-gary-johnson-seeks-libertarian-nomination/ | title='Liberated' Gary Johnson seeks Libertarian nomination | publisher=CNN | date=December 28, 2011 | accessdate=December 28, 2011 | author=Stewart, Rebecca}}</ref>

For the first time in modern [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] history, three different candidates won the first three primary contests in January ([[Iowa Republican caucuses, 2012|Iowa]], [[New Hampshire Republican primary, 2012|New Hampshire]], and [[South Carolina Republican primary, 2012|South Carolina]]).<ref name="Newtwins">{{cite web | url=http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Elections/President/2012/0121/Newt-Gingrich-wins-South-Carolina.-Can-he-do-the-same-in-Florida | title=Newt Gingrich wins South Carolina. Can he do the same in Florida? | work=[[Christian Science Monitor]] | date=January 21, 2012 | accessdate=July 10, 2012 | author=Knickerbocker, Brad}}</ref> Although Romney had been expected to win in at least Iowa and New Hampshire, [[Rick Santorum]] won Iowa by 34 votes,<ref>[http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-21/rick-santorum-is-declared-winner-of-iowa-caucuses-by-state-party-leaders Rick Santorum Is Declared Winner of Iowa Caucuses by State Party Leaders"] (January 21, 2012). [[Bloomberg News]].</ref> [[Newt Gingrich]] won South Carolina by a surprisingly large margin,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/01/21/newt-gingrich-s-surprise-win-in-south-carolina-panics-republicans.html |title=Newt Gingrich's Surprise Win in South Carolina Panics Republicans |first=Paul |last=Begala |date=January 21, 2012}}</ref> and Romney won only in New Hampshire.

A number of candidates dropped out at this point in the nomination process. Bachmann withdrew after finishing fifth in the Iowa caucuses,<ref>Sarah Wheaton, "[http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/04/bachmann-says-she-will-not-continue-in-the-race/ Bachmann Says She Will Not Continue in the Race]", January 4, 2012, ''The New York Times''.</ref> Huntsman withdrew after coming in third in New Hampshire, and Perry withdrew when polls showed him drawing low numbers in South Carolina.<ref>{{Cite news |first1=Jeff |last1=Zeleny |first2=Michael D. |last2=Shear |newspaper=The New York Times |title=Perry to End Bid for Presidency |date=January 19, 2012 |url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/19/perry-to-end-bid-for-presidency/ |accessdate=July 10, 2012}}</ref>
[[File:Romney 2011 Paradise Valley, AZ rally.jpg|thumb|[[Mitt Romney]] on the campaign trail.]]

Santorum, who had previously run an essentially one-state campaign in Iowa, was able to organize a national campaign after his surprising victory in Iowa. He unexpectedly carried three states in a row on February 7 and overtook Romney in nationwide opinion polls, becoming the only candidate in the race to effectively challenge the notion that Romney was the inevitable nominee.<ref>Madison, Lucy (February 8, 2012) [http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57373308-503544/santorum-hopes-to-build-momentum-from-3-state-sweep/ "Santorum hopes to build momentum from 3-state sweep"], [[CBS News]]. Retrieved August 27, 2012</ref> However, Romney won all of the other contests between South Carolina and the [[Super Tuesday, 2012|Super Tuesday primaries]], and regained his first-place status in nationwide opinion polls by the end of February.

The [[Super Tuesday, 2012|Super Tuesday primaries]] took place on March 6. Romney carried six states, Santorum carried three, and Gingrich won only in his home state of Georgia.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/primaries/dates/20120306 "Results: March 6, 2012 – Super Tuesday"], [[CNN]]. Retrieved July 12, 2012.</ref> Throughout the rest of March, 266 delegates were allocated in 12 events, including the territorial contests and the first local conventions that allocated delegates (Wyoming's county conventions). Santorum won Kansas and three Southern primaries, but he was unable to make any substantial gain on Romney, who became a formidable frontrunner after securing more than half of the delegates allocated in March.

On April 10, Santorum suspended his campaign due to a variety of reasons, such as a low delegate count, unfavorable polls in his home state of Pennsylvania, and his daughter's health, leaving Mitt Romney as the undisputed front-runner for the presidential nomination and allowing Gingrich to claim that he was "the last conservative standing" in the campaign for the nomination.<ref>Gabriel, Trip (April 10, 2012) [http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/10/gingrich-says-hes-in-the-race-to-the-end/# "Gingrich Says He's in the Race to the End"], ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref> After disappointing results in the April 24 primaries (finishing second in one state, third in two, and fourth in two<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_presidential_primaries,_2012#April Republican Party presidential primaries, 2012 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]. En.wikipedia.org. Retrieved on 2013-08-12.</ref>), Gingrich dropped out on May 2 in a move that was seen as an effective end to the nomination contest.<ref>[http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/25/overheard-on-cnn-com-what-brought-down-gingrichs-campaign-whats-next/ "Overheard on CNN.com: What brought down Gingrich's campaign? What's next?"], [[CNN]]. April 25, 2012.</ref> After Gingrich's spokesman announced his upcoming withdrawal, the [[Republican National Committee]] declared Romney the party's [[presumptive nominee]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Shear |first=Michael D. |date=April 25, 2012 |title=Republican National Committee Backs Romney |url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/25/republican-national-committee-backs-romney/ |newspaper=The New York Times |accessdate=May 2, 2012}}</ref> Ron Paul officially remained in the race, but he stopped campaigning on May 14 in order to focus on state conventions instead.

On May 29, after winning the Texas primary, Romney had received a sufficient number of delegates to clinch the party's nomination with the inclusion of unpledged delegates.  After winning the June 5 primaries in California and several other states, Romney had received more than enough pledged delegates to clinch the nomination without counting unpledged delegates, making the June 26 Utah Primary, the last contest of the cycle, purely symbolic. CNN's final delegate estimate, released on July 27, 2012, put Romney at 1,462 pledged delegates and 62 unpledged delegates, for a total estimate of 1,524 delegates. No other candidate had unpledged delegates. The delegate estimates for the other candidates were Santorum at 261 delegates, Paul at 154, Gingrich at 142, Bachmann at 1, Huntsman at 1, and all others at 0.<ref name="romneyclinches">Holland, Steve (May 30, 2012) [http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/30/us-usa-campaign-romney-idUSBRE84T02720120530 "Romney clinches Republican 2012 nomination in Texas"], [[Reuters]]. Retrieved May 30, 2012.</ref>

On August 28, 2012, delegates at the [[Republican National Convention]] officially named Romney the party's presidential nominee.<ref name="CBS News nominee">{{cite web | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57502088-503544/republican-delegates-nominate-mitt-romney/ | title=Republican delegates nominate Mitt Romney | publisher=CBS News | date=August 28, 2012 | accessdate=August 28, 2012 | author=Caldwell, Leigh Ann}}</ref> Romney formally accepted the delegates' nomination on August 30, 2012.<ref>O'Brien, Michael (August 30, 2012) [http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/30/13578981-romney-accepts-nomination-says-the-time-has-come-to-turn-the-page?lite "Romney accepts nomination, says 'The time has come to turn the page' "], [[NBC News]]. Retrieved August 31, 2012.</ref>

====Candidates====
* '''[[Mitt Romney]]''', former [[Governor of Massachusetts]]<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13632467 "Mitt Romney announces bid to be US president in 2012"], [[BBC]]. June 2, 2011</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Romney opens presidential bid — he's got company |first=Philip |last=Elliott |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700141023/Romney-opens-presidential-bid-2-hes-got-company.html |newspaper=Deseret News |date=June 2, 2011 |accessdate=October 5, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Ron Paul]], U.S. Representative from [[Texas]] (ended active campaigning on May 14, 2012; no endorsement, continued to seek delegates from earlier primaries)<ref name="Ron Paul Campaign">{{cite news|url=http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/05/ron-paul-to-stop-campaigning-in-new-states/|title=Ron Paul to Stop Campaigning in New States|last=Good|first=Chris|date=May 14, 2012|publisher=[[ABC News]]|accessdate=October 8, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Newt Gingrich]], former [[United States Speaker of the House of Representatives|U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives]] from [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]<ref>{{cite news | title=Newt Gingrich running for president |work=Politico | date=May 11, 2011 | url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/54780.html | first=Kendra | last=Marr | accessdate=May 11, 2011 | archivedate=May 11, 2011 | archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5yc0egH4Q|deadurl=no}}</ref><ref>Shear, Michael (May 11, 2011) [http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/video-gingrich-announces-for-president/?ref=politics "Video: Gingrich Announces for President"], ''[[The New York Times]]''. Retrieved May 11, 2011.</ref> (withdrew on May 2, 2012, and endorsed Mitt Romney)<ref>Montopoli, Brian (May 2, 2012) [http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57426387-503544/newt-gingrich-suspends-presidential-campaign/ "Newt Gingrich suspends presidential campaign"], [[CBS News]]. Retrieved May 2, 2012.</ref>
* [[Rick Santorum]], former [[List of United States Senators from Pennsylvania|senator]] from [[Pennsylvania]] (withdrew on April 10, 2012, and endorsed Mitt Romney)<ref>{{cite news |first= Stephanopoulos |last= George |title= Rick Santorum Will Run for President: 'We're In It to Win'|url= http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2011/06/exclusive-rick-santorum-we-are-in-it-to-win.html|publisher=[[ABC News]]|date= June 6, 2011 |accessdate=June 6, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first= Jonathan D.|last= Salant |title= Ex-Pennsylvania Senator Santorum Announces '12 Republican Presidential Bid |url= http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-06/ex-senator-santorum-announces-bid-for-republican-presidential-nomination.html |publisher=[[Bloomberg News]]|date= June 6, 2011 |accessdate=June 6, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |title= Republican Rick Santorum announces presidential run |url= http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/06/rick_santorum_announces_presid.html |work=[[The Patriot News]]|date= June 6, 2011 |accessdate=June 6, 2011}}</ref>
* [[Buddy Roemer]], former [[Governors of Louisiana|governor]] of [[Louisiana]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Roemer kicks off 2012 presidential bid |url=http://www.krqe.com/dpps/elections/president/roemer-kicks-off-2012-presidential-bid-nt11-jpe_3888834 |newspaper=KRQE |date=July 21, 2011 |accessdate=October 5, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/07/21/buddy-roemer-announcing-2012-gop-bid-for-president-deserves-attention.html | title=Listen to Candidate Roemer | work=The Daily Beast | date=July 21, 2011 | accessdate=July 21, 2011 | author=McKinnon, Mark}}</ref> (withdrew on February 22, 2012, to run for the nominations of Americans Elect and the Reform Party, then endorsed Gary Johnson)
* [[Rick Perry]], [[Governor of Texas]] (withdrew on January 19, 2012, and endorsed Newt Gingrich, then Mitt Romney after Gingrich withdrew)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/08/texas-gov-rick-perry-jumps-in-presidential-race.html |title=Texas Gov. Rick Perry Jumps In Presidential Race|publisher=ABC News|date=August 11, 2011 |accessdate=December 3, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/01/19/breaking-perry-endorses-gingrich/ |title=BREAKING: Perry drops out, endorses Gingrich |work= CNN |date=January 19, 2012 |accessdate=January 25, 2012 |first=Peter |last=Hamby}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-perry-president-20110813,0,6052473.story |title=Texas Gov. Rick Perry declares GOP presidential bid |work=Los Angeles Times |date=August 13, 2011 |accessdate=August 18, 2011 |first=Maeve |last=Reston}}</ref>
* [[Jon Huntsman, Jr.]], former [[United States Ambassador to China|U.S. ambassador to China]] and former [[Governor of Utah|governor]] of [[Utah]] (withdrew on January 16, 2012, and endorsed Mitt Romney)<ref>[http://thehill.com/blogs/twitter-room/other-news/160417-huntsmans-sly-web-strategy "Huntsman's sly web strategy"], ''The Hill''. May 11, 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/54846.html "Jon Huntsman: My Mormonism is 'tough to define'"], ''Politico''. May 12, 2011.</ref>
* [[Michele Bachmann]], U.S. Representative from [[Minnesota]] (withdrew on January 4, 2012, and endorsed Mitt Romney)<ref>{{Cite news|title=Michele Bachmann drops out of GOP race after Iowa caucuses|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/michele-bachmann-drops-out-of-gop-race-after-iowa-caucuses/2012/01/04/gIQAP6L9aP_story.html|date=January 4, 2012|work=[[The Washington Post]]|accessdate=January 5, 2012|first=Philip|last=Rucker}}</ref><ref name="bach1">{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/michele-bachmann-files-paperwork-to-run-for-president/2011/06/13/AGPaXlTH_story.html|title=Michele Bachmann files paperwork to run for president | work=The Washington Post | date=June 14, 2011|first=Michael S.|last=Rosenwald}}</ref><ref name="bach2">{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/56881.html |title=Michele Bachmann is in|first=Alexander|last=Burns |work=Politico|date=June 13, 2011|accessdate=December 3, 2011}}</ref>
* [[Gary Johnson]], former [[governor of New Mexico]] (withdrew on December 28, 2011, to run for the nomination of the Libertarian Party)<ref name="Ex">{{cite news|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/onpolitics/post/2011/04/gary-johnson-president-new-mexico-governor-/1|title=Ex-N.M. governor Gary Johnson announces for president | work=USA Today | first=Catalina|last=Camia|date=April 21, 2011}}</ref><ref name="hat">{{Cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/04/gary-johnson-throws-his-hat-into-the-gop-presidential-ring-will-he-be-the-2012-ron-paul.html|title=Gary Johnson throws his hat into the GOP presidential ring, will he be the 2012 Ron Paul?|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
* [[Herman Cain]], businessman from [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] (withdrew on December 3, 2011, and endorsed Newt Gingrich, then Mitt Romney after Gingrich withdrew)<ref>Green, Joshua (May 21, 2011) [http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/05/herman-cain-makes-it-official/239255/ "Herman Cain Makes It Official"], ''The Atlantic''. Retrieved May 21, 2011.</ref><ref>Creed, Ryan (May 21, 2011) [http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/herman-cain-ceo-godfathers-pizza-announces-candidacy/story?id=13655234 "Herman Cain, Former CEO of Godfather's Pizza, Announces His Candidacy"], ABC News. Retrieved May 22, 2011.</ref>
* [[Thaddeus McCotter]], [[U.S. Representative]] from [[Michigan]] (withdrew on September 22, 2011, and endorsed Mitt Romney)<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20076049-503544.html | title=Michigan Rep. Thaddeus McCotter to jump into Republican presidential race | publisher=[[CBS News]] | date=July 1, 2011 | accessdate=June 27, 2012 | author=Madison, Lucy}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/59516.html | title=Candidates face off on Twitter | work=[[Politico (newspaper)|Politico]] | date=July 20, 2011 | accessdate=June 27, 2012 | author=Summers, Juana}}</ref>
* [[Tim Pawlenty]], former [[governor of Minnesota]] (withdrew on August 14, 2011, and endorsed Mitt Romney)<ref name="2012withdraw">{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20110814/us-pawlenty-2012/|title=Ex-Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty ends White House bid|agency=[[Associated Press]]|work=The Huffington Post|date=August 14, 2011|accessdate=August 14, 2011|first=Brian|last=Bakst}}</ref><ref name="AmesResult">{{cite news|url=http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2011/08/ames-a-strongly.php|title=Bachmann Boom; TPaw Bust?|date=August 13, 2011|accessdate=August 14, 2011|work=[[National Journal]]|first=Beth|last=Reinhard}}</ref>

<gallery perrow="6">
File:Mitt Romney by Gage Skidmore 6 cropped.jpg|Former [[Governor of Massachusetts|Governor]]<br>'''[[Mitt Romney]]'''<br>of [[Massachusetts]]<br> ([[Mitt Romney presidential campaign, 2012|campaign]])
File:Ron Paul, official Congressional photo portrait, 2007.jpg|[[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]]<br>'''[[Ron Paul]]''' of [[Texas]] ([[Ron Paul presidential campaign, 2012|campaign]])
File:Newt Gingrich by Gage Skidmore 6.jpg|Former [[Speaker of the United States House of Representatives|Speaker of the House]] '''[[Newt Gingrich]]''' of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] ([[Newt Gingrich presidential campaign, 2012|campaign]])
File:Rick Santorum by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg|Former [[United States Senate|Senator]]<br>'''[[Rick Santorum]]''' of [[Pennsylvania]] ([[Rick Santorum presidential campaign, 2012|campaign]])
File:Buddy Roemer by Gage Skidmore.jpg|Former [[Governor of Louisiana|Governor]]<br>'''[[Buddy Roemer]]''' of [[Louisiana]] ([[Buddy Roemer presidential campaign, 2012|campaign]])
File:Rick Perry by Gage Skidmore 3.jpg|[[Governor of Texas|Governor]] '''[[Rick Perry]]''' of [[Texas]] ([[Rick Perry presidential campaign, 2012|campaign]])
File:Ambassador Jon Huntsman.jpg|Former [[U.S. Ambassador to China|Ambassador]]<br>'''[[Jon Huntsman, Jr.|Jon Huntsman]]''' of [[Utah]] ([[Jon Huntsman presidential campaign, 2012|campaign]])
File:Michele Bachmann by Gage Skidmore 5.jpg|[[U.S. Representative]] '''[[Michele Bachmann]]''' of [[Minnesota]] ([[Michele Bachmann presidential campaign, 2012|campaign]])
File:Garyjohnsonphoto.JPG|Former [[Governor of New Mexico|Governor]]<br>'''[[Gary Johnson]]''' of [[New Mexico]] ([[Gary Johnson presidential campaign, 2012|campaign]])
File:Herman Cain by Gage Skidmore 5.jpg|Businessman '''[[Herman Cain]]''' of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] ([[Herman Cain presidential campaign, 2012|campaign]])
File:Thaddeusmccotter.jpg|[[U.S. Representative]] '''[[Thaddeus McCotter]]''' of [[Michigan]] ([[Thaddeus McCotter presidential campaign, 2012|campaign]])
File:Tim Pawlenty by Gage Skidmore.jpg|Former [[Governor of Minnesota|Governor]]<br>'''[[Tim Pawlenty]]''' of [[Minnesota]] ([[Tim Pawlenty presidential campaign, 2012|campaign]]) </gallery>

===Third parties===
{{main|United States third party and independent presidential candidates, 2012}}

====Libertarian Party====
{{main|Libertarian Party (United States)|2012 Libertarian National Convention|Gary Johnson presidential campaign, 2012}}

[[File:Ballot access of Gary Johnson in the 2012 US presidential election.svg|thumb|right|Gary Johnson was on the ballot in every state but Oklahoma and Michigan. In the case of Michigan, he had Write-In access.]]

Libertarian candidates:
*'''[[Gary Johnson]]''' – Former [[List of Governors of New Mexico|Governor of New Mexico]]
*[[R. Lee Wrights]] – Former Vice Chair of the Libertarian National Committee
*Jim Burns - Political Activist
*[[Carl Person]] - Attorney-of-Law

<gallery perrow="5">
File:Garyjohnsonphoto - modified.jpg|Former [[List of Governors of New Mexico|Governor of New Mexico]] '''[[Gary Johnson]]'''
File:R. Lee Wrights August 2012.jpg|Former Vice Chair of the Libertarian National Committee '''[[R. Lee Wrights]]''' of [[Texas]]
File:Carl E. Person town attorney general attire.jpg|Attorney '''[[Carl Person]]'''  of [[New York]]
</gallery>

The Libertarian Party nominated the Former Governor of New Mexico, '''[[Gary Johnson]]''', for the Presidency, and nominated Johnson's selection California Judge '''[[James P. Gray|James Gray]]''' for the Vice Presidency. Johnson and Gray would receive 1,275,951 votes ''(0.99% of the National Popular vote)'', the most garnered by the Libertarian Party in any previous Presidential Election; however, [[Ed Clark]] in 1980 did attain a higher ''percentage'' of the vote than Johnson did ''(1.06%)''.

====Green Party====
{{main|Green Party of the United States|2012 Green National Convention|Jill Stein presidential campaign, 2012}}

[[File:Ballot access of Jill Stein in the 2012 US presidential election.svg|thumb|right|Jill Stein was on the ballot in thirty-seven states (447 Electoral Votes). Those states with a lighter shade are states in which she was an official write-in candidate.]]

Green candidates:
* '''[[Jill Stein]]''', [[Massachusetts]] physician and chair of the [[Green-Rainbow Party]]
* [[Roseanne Barr]], comedian, actor, liberal activist, and former sitcom, cooking show, and talk show host of [[Hawaii]].
* Kent Mesplay, [[California]] Delegate to the [[Green National Committee]]
* Harley Mikkelson, multiple time candidate for office with the [[Green Party of Michigan]]

<gallery perrow="5">
File:Jill Stein 2012.jpg|Physician '''[[Jill Stein]]'''
File:Roseanne Hard Rock Cafe.jpg|Comedian [[Roseanne Barr]]
</gallery>

The Presidential Nomination of the Green Party was primarily fought for by two of its candidates, [[Jill Stein]] who was Chair of the [[Green-Rainbow Party]] in [[Massachusetts]], and [[Roseanne Barr]] a noted Comedian. While Barr unexpectedly proved to be a formidable opponent for Stein, her campaign was fatally injured when she lost the party's California presidential primary. While Stein managed to comfortably carry the nomination at Baltimore, Barr would seek and later attain the [[Peace and Freedom Party|Peace and Freedom Party's]] nomination. [[Cheri Honkala]], and anti-poverty advocate from [[Pennsylvania]], was nominated to be Stein's running-mate. Stein and Honkala would receive 469,583 votes ''(0.36% of the National Popular vote)''.

====Constitution Party====
{{main|Constitution Party (United States)|2012 Constitution Party National Convention|Virgil Goode presidential campaign, 2012}}

[[File:Ballot access of Virgil Goode in the 2012 US presidential election.svg|thumb|right|Virgil Goode was on the ballot in twenty-six states (257 Electoral Votes). Those states with a lighter shade are states in which he was an official write-in candidate.]]

Constitution candidates:
*'''[[Virgil Goode]]''' – Former Congressman from [[Virginia]]
*[[Darrell Castle]] – Attorney and 2008 Vice Presidential Nominee from [[Tennessee]]
*[[Robby Wells]] - College Football Coach from [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
*Susan Ducey - Nurse and Political Activist from [[Kansas]]
*[[Laurie Roth]] - [[Talk radio|Radio Talk Show host]] and Political Commentator from [[Washington (state)|Washington]]

<gallery perrow="5">
File:Rep Virgil Goode.jpg|Former Congressman '''[[Virgil Goode]]'''
File:DCastle08.jpg|Attorney '''[[Darrell Castle]]'''
File:Robby Wells.PNG|College Football Coach '''[[Robby Wells]]'''
</gallery>

Initially there was little challenge against [[Virgil Goode]], who had only declared his intention to run for the nomination in February. At the Party's convention in Nashville however [[Darrell Castle]], who had been the party's nominee for the Vice Presidency in 2008, decided to run himself at the urging of a number of the delegates present, despite his prior promises to both Goode and [[Robby Wells]] that he had no intention of seeking the nomination. Virgil Goode managed to attain the nomination on the first ballot, just barely attaining a majority of the vote. [[Jim Clymer]], who up to that time was the Chairman of the Constitution Party, was named his running mate. Goode and Clymer would receive 122,001 votes ''(0.09% of the National Popular vote)''.

====Justice Party====
{{main|Justice Party (United States)|Rocky Anderson}}

[[File:Ballot access of Rocky Anderson in the 2012 US presidential election.svg|thumb|right|Rocky Anderson was on the ballot in fifteen states (145 Electoral Votes). Those states with a lighter shade are states in which he was an official write-in candidate.]]

Justice candidate:
*'''[[Rocky Anderson]]''', former mayor of Salt Lake City and founding member of the Justice Party from [[Utah]]

<gallery perrow="5">
File:Rocky Anderson speech cropped.jpg|Former Salt Lake City Mayor '''[[Rocky Anderson]]'''
</gallery>

The Justice Party nominated its prime founder, former Mayor [[Rocky Anderson]], as its Presidential nominee in its first election to that office. [[Luis J. Rodriguez]], a noted poet and novelist, was selected to be his running-mate in the election. Anderson and Rodriguez would receive 43,011 votes ''(0.03% of the National Popular vote)''.

==Campaigns==
{{see also|Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2012|Mitt Romney presidential campaign, 2012|Gary Johnson presidential campaign, 2012|Jill Stein presidential campaign, 2012| Virgil Goode presidential campaign, 2012}}

===Ballot access===
{|class="wikitable"
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
!Presidential ticket
!Party
![[Ballot access]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ballot-access.org/?p=30419|title=2012 BALLOT STATUS FOR PRESIDENT|publisher=Ballot-access.org|date=October 27, 2012|accessdate=July 7, 2013}}</ref>
! % of voters seeing name on ballot
!Votes
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|Obama / Biden
|Democratic
|50+[[Washington, D.C.|DC]]
|100%
|65,910,437
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|Romney / Ryan
|Republican
|50+DC
|100%
|60,932,795
|-{{Party shading/Libertarian}}
|Johnson / Gray
|Libertarian
|48+ DC
|95.1%
|1,275,951
|-{{Party shading/Green}}
|Stein / Honkala
|Green
|36 + DC
|83.1%
|469,583
|-{{Party shading/Constitution}}
|Goode / Clymer
|Constitution
|26
|49.9%
|122,001
|-{{Party shading/Independent}}
|Anderson / Rodriguez
|Justice
|15
|28.1%
|43,011
|-{{Party shading/Socialist}}
|Lindsay / Osorio
|Socialism & Liberation
|13
|28.6%
|9,403	
|}

All other candidates were on the ballots of fewer than 10 states and less than 20% of voters nationwide would see their names on the ballot.

===Financing and advertising===
The United States presidential election of 2012 broke new records in financing, fundraising, and negative campaigning. Through grass-roots campaign contributions, online donations, and [[Super PACs]], Obama and Romney raised a combined total of more than two billion dollars.<ref>{{cite news |last=Braun |first=Stephen |title=$2 Billion Price Tag for Presidential Election |url= http://bigstory.ap.org/article/casino-owner-aided-romney-late-10-million-bet|accessdate=December 9, 2012 |newspaper=[[Associated Press]]|date=December 6, 2012}}</ref> Super PACs constituted nearly one fourth of the total financing, with most of the total coming from pro-Romney PACs.<ref>{{cite news |last=Confessore |first=Nicholas |title=Little to Show for Cash Flood by Big Donors |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/08/us/politics/little-to-show-for-cash-flood-by-big-donors.html?_r=0&pagewanted=all|accessdate=December 9, 2012 |newspaper=[[New York Times]]|date=December 7, 2012}}</ref> Obama raised $690 million through online channels, beating his record of $500 million in 2008.<ref>{{cite news |last=Scherer |first=Michael |title=Exclusive: Obama's 2012 Digital Fundraising Outperformed 2008 |url=http://swampland.time.com/2012/11/15/exclusive-obamas-2012-digital-fundraising-outperformed-2008/ |accessdate=December 9, 2012 |newspaper=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date=November 27, 2012}}</ref> Most of the advertising in the 2012 presidential campaign was decidedly negative: it was found that 80% of the ads put out by Obama and 84% of the ads put out by Romney were negative.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hunt |first=Albert |title=Barrage of Negative Ads May Haunt President-Elect |url= http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-14/barrage-of-negative-ads-may-haunt-president-elect.html|accessdate=December 9, 2012 |newspaper=[[Bloomberg News]]|date=October 14, 2012}}"The hundreds of thousands of television commercials broadcast by the presidential candidates are lopsidedly negative; this is the case with 80 percent of those put out by President Barack Obama and 84 percent of those for Mitt Romney."</ref>

===Party conventions===
{{Location map many | USA |left| width=400 |caption=Sites of the 2012 national party conventions.
| alt=Map of United States showing Charlotte, Tampa, Nashville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles<!--Cullman--> and Baltimore
| mark1=blue pog.svg | mark1size=12 | lat1_deg=35.2269 | lon1_deg=-80.843333 | label1=Charlotte | position1=right
| mark2=red pog.svg | mark2size=12 | lat2_deg=27.9709 | lon2_deg=-82.46464 | label2=Tampa | position2=left
| mark3=purple pog.svg | mark3size=8 | lat3_deg=36.165 |lon3_deg=-86.784 | label3=Nashville | position3=left
| mark4=gold pog.svg | mark4size=8 | lat4_deg=36.176 | lon4_deg=-115.137 | label4=Las Vegas | position4=right
| mark5=green pog.svg | mark5size=8 | lat5_deg=39.283333 | lon5_deg=-76.616667 | label5=Baltimore | position5=left
}} <!--1=Rep 2=Dem 3=Constit 4=Lib 5=Green-->
* April 18–21, 2012: 2012 [[Constitution Party National Convention]] held in [[Nashville, Tennessee]];<ref>Winger, Richard (November 18, 2010) [http://www.ballot-access.org/2010/11/18/2012-constitution-party-national-convention-set-for-nashville/ "2012 Constitution Party National Convention Set for Nashville"], Ballot Access News. Retrieved November 29, 2010.</ref> [[Virgil Goode]] won the nomination.
* May 3–6, 2012: [[2012 Libertarian National Convention]] held in [[Las Vegas, Nevada]];<ref name=lmyers>Myers, Laura (November 30, 2010) [http://www.lvrj.com/news/las-vegas-will-host-libertarian-convention-111027874.html "Las Vegas will host Libertarian convention"] ''[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]]''. Retrieved November 30, 2010.</ref> [[Gary Johnson]] won the nomination.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/05/gary-johnson-2012-libertarian-nomination_n_1485044.html|author=Cristina Silva|title=Gary Johnson Wins 2012 Libertarian Nomination|agency=Associated Press|publisher=The Huffington Post|date=May 5, 2012|accessdate=June 17, 2012}}</ref>
* July 13–15, 2012: [[2012 Green National Convention]] held in [[Baltimore|Baltimore, Maryland]];<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ballot-access.org/2011/11/11/green-party-national-convention-will-be-in-baltimore/ |title=Green Party National Convention will be in Baltimore |work=Ballot Access News |date=November 11, 2011 |accessdate=November 12, 2011}}</ref> [[Jill Stein]] won the nomination.<ref name="Baltimore">{{cite news | url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-07-14/green-party-jill-stein/56226288/1 | title=Mass. doctor Jill Stein wins Green Party's presidential nod | agency=Associated Press | work=[[USA Today]] | date=July 14, 2012 | accessdate=July 15, 2012}}</ref>
* August 27–30, 2012: [[2012 Republican National Convention]] held in [[Tampa, Florida]];<ref>Barr, Andy,; Mike Allen (May 12, 2010) [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37157.html "Republicans pick Tampa for 2012 convention"], ''Politico''. Retrieved May 13, 2010.</ref> [[Mitt Romney]] won the nomination.
* September 3–6, 2012: [[2012 Democratic National Convention]] held in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]];<ref>{{cite news |title=2012 Democratic National Convention To Be Held In Charlotte, N.C. |first=Michael |last=Falcone |url=http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/02/democratic-national-convention-2012-to-be-held-in-charlotte-nc/ |newspaper=ABC News |date=February 1, 2011 |accessdate=October 5, 2012}}</ref> [[Barack Obama]] won the nomination.

===Debates===
{{Main|United States presidential election debates, 2012}}
The [[Commission on Presidential Debates]] held four debates during the last weeks of the campaign: three presidential and one vice-presidential. The major issues debated were the economy and jobs, the federal budget deficit, taxation and spending, the future of [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]], [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]], and [[Medicaid]], [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act|healthcare reform]], education, social issues, immigration, and foreign policy.

Debate schedule:
* Wednesday, October 3: The [[First U.S. presidential debate of 2012|first presidential debate]] took place at the [[University of Denver]] in [[Denver|Denver, Colorado]],<ref name="debates">{{cite web |url=http://decoded.nationaljournal.com/2011/10/fall-2012-presidential-debates.php |title=Fall 2012 Presidential Debates Set |work=National Journal |first=Kathy |last=Kiely |date=October 31, 2011| accessdate=October 31, 2011}}</ref> moderated by [[Jim Lehrer]].<ref name="moderators">Blake, Aaron (August 13, 2012) [http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/presidential-debate-moderators-announced-crowley-is-first-woman-in-20-years/2012/08/13/0e327af6-e553-11e1-8f62-58260e3940a0_blog.html "Presidential debate moderators announced: Crowley is first woman in 20 years"], ''[[The Washington Post]]''. Retrieved August 15, 2012.</ref>
* Thursday, October 11: The [[United States vice-presidential debate, 2012|vice-presidential debate]] took place at [[Centre College]] in [[Danville, Kentucky]],<ref name="debates" /> moderated by [[Martha Raddatz]].<ref name="moderators"/>
* Tuesday, October 16: The [[Second U.S. presidential debate of 2012|second presidential debate]] took place at [[Hofstra University]] in [[Hempstead (village), New York|Hempstead, New York]],<ref name="debates" /> moderated by [[Candy Crowley]].<ref name="moderators"/> It had a town hall format.<ref>Little, Morgan (July 25, 2012) [http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-presidential-debate-formats-announced-feature-town-hall-20120725,0,7862238.story "Presidential debate formats announced, feature town hall"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Retrieved July 26, 2012.</ref>
* Monday, October 22: The [[Third U.S. presidential debate of 2012|third presidential debate]] took place at [[Lynn University]] in [[Boca Raton, Florida]],<ref name="debates" /> moderated by [[Bob Schieffer]].<ref name="moderators"/>
[[File:Barack Obama presidential debate preparations.jpg|thumb|President Obama talks with [[Ron Klain]] during presidential debate preparations. Senator [[John Kerry]], at podium, played the role of Mitt Romney during the preparatory sessions.]]

An independent presidential debate featuring minor party candidates took place on Tuesday, October 23 at the [[Hilton Hotel]] in [[Chicago, Illinois]].<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2012/10/24/third-party-candidates-finally-get-their-own-presidential-debate/ "Third-party candidates finally get their own presidential debate"], ''The Washington Post''. October 24, 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2013.</ref><ref name="united">{{cite web | url=http://seattletimes.com/html/politics/2019505794_thirdparties.html | title=Third-party candidates debate: United against Obama, Romney | work=[[The Seattle Times]] | date=October 23, 2012 | accessdate=October 24, 2012 | author=Sullivan, Sean}}</ref> The debate was moderated by [[Larry King]]<ref name=moderate3rd>{{cite news | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57533931/larry-king-to-moderate-third-party-debate/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CBSNewsGamecore+(GameCore%3A+CBSnews.com) | title=Larry King to moderate third-party debate | agency=Associated Press | work=[[CBS News]] | accessdate=October 18, 2012 | author=October 17, 2012}}</ref> and organized by the [[Free and Equal Elections Foundation]].<ref name="united"/> The participants were [[Gary Johnson]] ([[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]]), [[Jill Stein]] ([[Green Party of the United States|Green]]), [[Virgil Goode]] ([[Constitution Party (United States)|Constitution]]), and [[Rocky Anderson]] ([[Justice Party (United States)|Justice]]).<ref name="united"/><ref name=moderate3rd/> A second debate between Stein and Johnson took place on Monday, November 5 in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/political-potpourri/2012/oct/28/third-party-debate-date-change-nov-5-hurrica-sandy/#.UI7JxfedLcc.facebook | title=Third party Presidential debate date changed to Nov. 5 due to Hurricane Sandy | work=[[The Washington Times]] | date=October 28, 2012 | accessdate=October 29, 2012 | author=Falkenthal, Gayle}}</ref><ref name="another">{{cite web | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/10/24/another-third-party-debate-in-the-works/ | title=Another third party debate in the works | work=[[The Washington Post]] | date=October 24, 2012 | accessdate=October 25, 2012 | author=Hicks, Josh}}</ref> It was hosted by [[RT (TV network)|RT]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://rt.com/usa/news/rt-third-party-debate-stein-249/ | title=RT to host final US presidential third-party debate | publisher=[[Rt.com|RT.com]] | date=October 26, 2012 | accessdate=October 26, 2012}}</ref> and moderated by [[Thom Hartmann]] and [[Christina Tobin]].

===Notable expressions, phrases, and statements===
<!--
Note: Romnesia redirects here. If you're changing the name of this section heading, please fix the redirect [[Romneisa]]
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* Severely conservative – In a speech he made at the [[Conservative Political Action Conference]] in February 2012, Romney claimed that he had been a "severely conservative Republican governor." Romney's description of his record as "severely conservative" was widely criticized by political commentators as both rhetorically clumsy and factually inaccurate.<ref>Fahrenthold, David A.. (2012-02-16) [http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-02-16/politics/35444438_1_mitt-romney-conservative-governor-david-tuerck Mitt Romney reframes himself as a 'severely conservative' governor - Washington Post]. Articles.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-12.</ref><ref>[http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/mitt-romneys-severe-conservatism_652663.html Mitt Romney's 'Severe Conservatism']. The Weekly Standard (2012-09-18). Retrieved on 2013-08-12.</ref><ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/13/opinion/frum-romney-moves/index.html Mitt Romney's 'severely' bad moves]. CNN.com (2012-02-13). Retrieved on 2013-08-12.</ref> Later, the phrase "severely conservative" was frequently brought up by Democrats to make fun of Romney's willingness to associate himself with the far-right of the Republican Party as well as his apparent lack of sincerity while doing so.
* [[You didn't build that]] – A portion of a statement that Obama made in a July 2012 campaign speech in [[Roanoke, Virginia]]. Obama was explaining how businesses depend on government-provided infrastructure to succeed, but many critics of his remarks claimed that he was underplaying the work of entrepreneurs and giving the government credit for individuals' success. The Romney campaign immediately jumped on the statement in an effort to drive a wedge between Obama and small business owners. A major theme of the [[2012 Republican National Convention]] was "We Built It."
* [[47 percent]] – An expression Romney used at a private campaign fundraising event which was secretly recorded and publicly released. At the private event, Romney said that 47 percent of the people would vote for Barack Obama no matter what Romney said or did because those people "are dependent upon government".
* [[Binders full of women]] – A phrase that Romney used in the [[Second U.S. presidential debate of 2012|second presidential debate]] to refer to the long list of female candidates that he considered when choosing his cabinet members as Governor of Massachusetts.
* Romnesia – A term coined by a blogger in April 2011 and used by Obama late in the campaign to describe Romney's alleged inability to take responsibility for his past statements.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.hcfama.org/2011/04/04/romnesia/|title=Romnesia|work=hcfama.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Kantrowitz, Alex |url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexkantrowitz/2012/10/21/romnesia-a-made-for-social-media-attack-line/ |title=#Romnesia: A Made for Social Media Attack Line |publisher=Forbes |date=October 21, 2012 |accessdate=October 22, 2012}}</ref>

==Results==
The results of the electoral vote were certified by Congress on January 4, 2013.<ref name=ap010413>{{cite news|last=Cassata|first=Donna|title=Electoral College count affirms Obama's win|url=http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/20505151/electoral-college-count-affirms-obamas-win|accessdate=January 4, 2013|newspaper=Associated Press|date=January 4, 2013}}</ref>

{{start U.S. presidential ticket box|pv_footnote=|ev_footnote=}}
{{U.S. presidential ticket box row|name=[[Barack Obama]]|party=[[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]]|state=[[Illinois]]|pv=65,910,437|pv_pct=51.07%|ev=332|vp_name=[[Joe Biden]]|vp_state=[[Delaware]]}}
{{U.S. presidential ticket box row|name=[[Mitt Romney]]|party=[[United States Republican Party|Republican]]|state=[[Massachusetts]]|pv=60,932,795|pv_pct=47.21% |ev=206|vp_name=[[Paul Ryan]]|vp_state=[[Wisconsin]]}}
{{U.S. presidential ticket box row|name=[[Gary Johnson]]|party=[[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]]|state=[[New Mexico]]|pv=1,275,951|pv_pct=0.99%|ev=0 |vp_name=[[James P. Gray]]|vp_state=[[California]]}}
{{U.S. presidential ticket box row|name=[[Jill Stein]]|party=[[Green Party (United States)|Green]]|state=[[Massachusetts]]|pv=469,583|pv_pct=0.36%|ev= 0|vp_name=[[Cheri Honkala]]|vp_state=[[Pennsylvania]]}}
{{U.S. presidential ticket box row|name=[[Virgil Goode]]|party=[[Constitution Party (United States)|Constitution]]|state=[[Virginia]]|pv=122,001|pv_pct=0.09%|ev=0|vp_name=[[Jim Clymer]]|vp_state=[[Pennsylvania]]}}
{{U.S. presidential ticket box row|name=[[Roseanne Barr]]|party=[[Peace and Freedom Party|Peace and Freedom]]|state=[[Hawaii]]|pv=67,278|pv_pct=0.05%|ev=0|vp_name=[[Cindy Sheehan]]|vp_state=[[California]]}}
{{U.S. presidential ticket box row|name=[[Rocky Anderson]]|party=[[Justice Party (United States)|Justice]]|state=[[Utah]]|pv=43,011|pv_pct=0.03%|ev=0|vp_name=[[Luis J. Rodriguez]]|vp_state=[[California]]}}
{{U.S. presidential ticket box row|name=[[Tom Hoefling]]|party=[[America's Party (political party)|America's]]|state=[[Iowa]]|pv=40,586|pv_pct=0.03%|ev=0|vp_name=[[J.D. Ellis|Jonathan D. Ellis]]|vp_state=[[Tennessee]]}}
{{U.S. presidential ticket box other|footnote=|pv=217,669|pv_pct=0.17%}}
{{end U.S. presidential ticket box|pv=129,069,194|pv_pct=100.00%|ev=538|to_win=270}}

{{bar box
|title=Popular vote
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=600px
|barwidth=410px
|bars=
{{bar percent|'''Obama'''|{{Democratic Party (US)/meta/color}}|51.07}}
{{bar percent|Romney|{{Republican Party (US)/meta/color}}|47.21}}
{{bar percent|Johnson|{{Libertarian Party (US)/meta/color}}|0.99}}
{{bar percent|Stein|{{Green Party (US)/meta/color}}|0.36}}
{{bar percent|Others|#777777|0.38}}
}}

{{bar box
|title=Electoral vote
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=600px
|barwidth=410px
|bars=
{{bar percent|'''Obama'''|{{Democratic Party (US)/meta/color}}|61.71}}
{{bar percent|Romney|{{Republican Party (US)/meta/color}}|38.29}}
}}

===Votes by states===
[[File:Barack Obama votes in the 2012 election.jpg|thumb|President Obama casts his ballot at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center in [[Chicago]].]]
The table below displays the official vote tallies by state. The source for the results of all states, except those which amended their official results, is the [http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2012/2012presgeresults.pdf official Federal Election Commission report]. The column labeled "Margin" shows Obama's margin of victory over Romney (the margin is negative for states won by Romney).
{|class="wikitable"
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|States/districts won by [[Barack Obama|Obama]]/[[Joe Biden|Biden]]
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|States/districts won by [[Mitt Romney|Romney]]/[[Paul Ryan|Ryan]]
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
|-
! State !! <small>[[Electoral College (United States)|Electors]]</small>!![[Barack Obama|Obama]]!!%!![[Mitt Romney|Romney]]!!%!![[Gary Johnson|Johnson]]!!%!![[Jill Stein|Stein]]!!%!!Others!!%!!Margin!!%!!Total
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Alabama, 2012|Alabama]] || 9 || 795,696||38.36%||1,255,925||60.55%||12,328||0.59%||3,397||0.16%||6,992||0.34%||−460,229||−22.19%||2,074,338
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Alaska, 2012|Alaska]] || 3 || 122,640||40.81%||164,676||54.80%||7,392||2.46%||2,917||0.97%||2,870||0.96%||−42,036||−13.99%||300,495
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Arizona, 2012|Arizona]] || 11 || 1,025,232||44.59%||1,233,654||53.65%||32,100||1.40%||7,816||0.34%||452||0.02%||−208,422||−9.06%||2,299,254
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Arkansas, 2012|Arkansas]] || 6 || 394,409||36.88%||647,744||60.57%||16,276||1.52%||9,305||0.87%||1,734||0.16%||−253,335||−23.69%||1,069,468
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in California, 2012|California]] || 55 || 7,854,285||60.24%||4,839,958||37.12%||143,221||1.10%||85,638||0.66%||115,445||0.89%||3,014,327||23.12%||13,038,547
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Colorado, 2012|Colorado]] || 9 || 1,323,101||51.49%||1,185,243||46.13%||35,545||1.38%||7,508||0.29%||18,123||0.71%||137,858||5.37%||2,569,520
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Connecticut, 2012|Connecticut]] || 7 || 905,083||58.06%||634,892||40.73%||12,580||0.81%||863||0.06%||5,542||0.36%||270,191||17.33%||1,558,960
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Delaware, 2012|Delaware]] || 3 || 242,584||58.61%||165,484||39.98%||3,882||0.94%||1,940||0.47%||31||0.01%||77,100||18.63%||413,921
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|<span style="display:none">District of Columbia</span>[[United States presidential election in the District of Columbia, 2012|District of Columbia]] || 3 || 267,070||90.91%||21,381||7.28%||2,083||0.71%||2,458||0.84%||772||0.26%||245,689||83.63%||293,764
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Florida, 2012|Florida]] || 29 || 4,237,756||50.01%||4,163,447||49.13%||44,726||0.53%||8,947||0.11%||19,303||0.23%||74,309||0.88%||8,474,179
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Georgia, 2012|Georgia]] || 16 || 1,773,827||45.48%||2,078,688||53.30%||45,324||1.16%||1,516||0.04%||695||0.02%||−304,861||−7.82%||3,900,050
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Hawaii, 2012|Hawaii]] || 4 ||306,658||70.55%||121,015||27.84%||3,840||0.88%||3,184||0.73%||0||0.00%||185,643||42.71%||434,697
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Idaho, 2012|Idaho]] || 4 || 212,787||32.62%||420,911||64.53%||9,453||1.45%||4,402||0.67%||4,721||0.72%||−208,124||−31.91%||652,274
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Illinois, 2012|Illinois]] || 20 || 3,019,512||57.60%||2,135,216||40.73%||56,229||1.07%||30,222||0.58%||835||0.02%||884,296||16.87%||5,242,014
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Indiana, 2012|Indiana]] || 11 || 1,152,887||43.93%||1,420,543||54.13%||50,111||1.91%||625||0.02%||368||0.01%||−267,656||−10.20%||2,624,534
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Iowa, 2012|Iowa]] || 6 || 822,544||51.99%||730,617||46.18%||12,926||0.82%||3,769||0.24%||12,324||0.78%||91,927||5.81%||1,582,180
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Kansas, 2012|Kansas]] || 6 ||440,726||37.99%||692,634||59.71%||20,456||1.76%||714||0.06%||5,441||0.47%||−251,908||−21.72%||1,159,971
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Kentucky, 2012|Kentucky]] || 8 ||679,370||37.80%||1,087,190||60.49%||17,063||0.95%||6,337||0.35%||7,252||0.40%||−407,820||−22.69%||1,797,212
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Louisiana, 2012|Louisiana]] || 8 || 809,141||40.58%||1,152,262||57.78%||18,157||0.91%||6,978||0.35%||7,527||0.38%||−343,121||−17.21%||1,994,065
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Maine, 2012|Maine]]<sup>★</sup> || 4 || 401,306||56.27%||292,276||40.98%||9,352||1.31%||8,119||1.14%||2,127||0.30%||109,030||15.29%||713,180
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Maryland, 2012|Maryland]] || 10 ||1,677,844||61.97%||971,869||35.90%||30,195||1.12%||17,110||0.63%||10,309||0.38%||705,975||26.08%||2,707,327
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 2012|Massachusetts]] || 11 || 1,921,290||60.65%||1,188,314||37.51%||30,920||0.98%||20,691||0.65%||6,552||0.21%||732,976||23.14%||3,167,767
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Michigan, 2012|Michigan]] || 16 ||2,564,569||54.21%||2,115,256||44.71%||7,774||0.16%||21,897||0.46%||21,465||0.45%||449,313||9.50%||4,730,961
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Minnesota, 2012|Minnesota]] || 10 ||1,546,167||52.65%||1,320,225||44.96%||35,098||1.20%||13,023||0.44%||22,048||0.75%||225,942||7.69%||2,936,561
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Mississippi, 2012|Mississippi]] || 6 || 562,949||43.79%||710,746||55.29%||6,676||0.52%||1,588||0.12%||3,625||0.28%||−147,797||−11.50%||1,285,584
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Missouri, 2012|Missouri]] || 10 || 1,223,796||44.38%||1,482,440||53.76%||43,151||1.56%||0||0.00%||7,936||0.29%||−258,644||−9.38%||2,757,323
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Montana, 2012|Montana]] || 3 || 201,839||41.70%||267,928||55.35%||14,165||2.93%||0||0.00%||116||0.02%||−66,089||−13.65%||484,048
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Nebraska, 2012|Nebraska]]<sup>★</sup> || 5 ||302,081||38.03%||475,064||59.80%||11,109||1.40%||0||0.00%||6,125||0.77%||−172,983||−21.78%||794,379
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Nevada, 2012|Nevada]] || 6 || 531,373||52.36%||463,567||45.68%||10,968||1.08%||0||0.00%||9,010||0.89%||67,806||6.68%||1,014,918
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in New Hampshire, 2012|New Hampshire]]|| 4 || 369,561||51.98%||329,918||46.40%||8,212||1.16%||324||0.05%||2,957||0.42%||39,643||5.58%||710,972
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in New Jersey, 2012|New Jersey]]<ref name=newjersey>{{cite web|url=http://nj.gov/state/elections/election-information-archive-2012.html#ge|title=2012 Election Information|accessdate=February 25, 2013}}</ref> || 14 || 2,125,101||58.38%||1,477,568||40.59%||21,045||0.58%||9,888||0.27%||6,690||0.18%||647,533||17.81%||3,640,292
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in New Mexico, 2012|New Mexico]] || 5 ||415,335||52.99%||335,788||42.84%||27,788||3.55%||2,691||0.34%||2,156||0.28%||79,547||10.15%||783,758
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in New York, 2012|New York]]<ref name=newyork>{{cite web|url=http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/elections/2012/General/President_04-09-2013.pdf|title=NYS Board of Elections President and Vice-President Election Returns Nov. 6, 2012|accessdate=May 2, 2013}}</ref> || 29 ||4,480,244||63.41%||2,489,569||35.23%||47,229||0.67%||39,936||0.56%||8,670||0.12%||1,990,675||28.18%||7,065,648
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in North Carolina, 2012|North Carolina]] || 15 ||2,178,391||48.35%||2,270,395||50.39%||44,515||0.99%||0||0.00%||12,071||0.27%||−92,004||−2.04%||4,505,372
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in North Dakota, 2012|North Dakota]] || 3 || 124,966||38.70%||188,320||58.32%||5,238||1.62%||1,362||0.42%||3,046||0.94%||−63,354||−19.62%||322,932
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Ohio, 2012|Ohio]]<ref name=ohio>{{cite web|url=http://www.sos.state.oh.us/sos/upload/elections/2012/gen/FinalResults.xlsx|title=Final Results|accessdate=February 25, 2013}}</ref> || 18 || 2,827,710||50.67%||2,661,433||47.69%||49,493||0.89%||18,574||0.33%||23,630||0.42%||166,277||2.98%||5,580,840
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Oklahoma, 2012|Oklahoma]] || 7 || 443,547||33.23%||891,325||66.77%||0||0.00%||0||0.00%||0||0.00%||−447,778||−33.54%||1,334,872
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Oregon, 2012|Oregon]] || 7 || 970,488||54.24%||754,175||42.15%||24,089||1.35%||19,427||1.09%||21,091||1.18%||216,313||12.09%||1,789,270
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Pennsylvania, 2012|Pennsylvania]] || 20 ||2,990,274||51.97%||2,680,434||46.59%||49,991||0.87%||21,341||0.37%||11,630||0.20%||309,840||5.39%||5,753,670
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Rhode Island, 2012|Rhode Island]] || 4 || 279,677||62.70%||157,204||35.24%||4,388||0.98%||2,421||0.54%||2,359||0.53%||122,473||27.46%||446,049
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in South Carolina, 2012|South Carolina]]|| 9 || 865,941||44.09%||1,071,645||54.56%||16,321||0.83%||5,446||0.28%||4,765||0.24%||−205,704||−10.47%||1,964,118
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in South Dakota, 2012|South Dakota]] || 3 ||145,039||39.87%||210,610||57.89%||5,795||1.59%||0||0.00%||2,371||0.65%||−65,571||−18.02%||363,815
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Tennessee, 2012|Tennessee]] || 11 ||960,709||39.08%||1,462,330||59.48%||18,623||0.76%||6,515||0.26%||10,400||0.42%||−501,621||−20.40%||2,458,577
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Texas, 2012|Texas]]|| 38 || 3,308,124||41.38%||4,569,843||57.17%||88,580||1.11%||24,657||0.31%||2,647||0.03%||−1,261,719||−15.78%||7,993,851
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Utah, 2012|Utah]] || 6 ||251,813||24.75%||740,600||72.79%||12,572||1.24%||3,817||0.38%||8,638||0.85%||−488,787||−48.04%||1,017,440
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Vermont, 2012|Vermont]] || 3 || |199,239||66.57%||92,698||30.97%||3,487||1.17%||594||0.20%||3,272||1.09%||106,541||35.60%||299,290
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Virginia, 2012|Virginia]] || 13 || 1,971,820||51.16%||1,822,522||47.28%||31,216||0.81%||8,627||0.22%||20,305||0.53%||149,298||3.87%||3,854,490
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Washington, 2012|Washington]] || 12 || 1,755,396||56.16%||1,290,670||41.29%||42,202||1.35%||20,928||0.67%||16,320||0.52%||464,726||14.87%||3,125,516
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in West Virginia, 2012|West Virginia]]|| 5 ||238,269||35.54%||417,655||62.30%||6,302||0.94%||4,406||0.66%||3,806||0.57%||−179,386||−26.76%||670,438
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Wisconsin, 2012|Wisconsin]]<ref name=wisconsin>{{cite web|url=http://gab.wi.gov/elections-voting/results/2012/fall-general|title=Wisconsin Fall 2012 General Election Results|accessdate=January 18, 2013}}</ref>|| 10 ||1,620,985||52.83%||1,407,966||45.89%||20,439||0.67%||7,665||0.25%||11,379||0.37%||213,019||6.94%||3,068,434
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| align=left|[[United States presidential election in Wyoming, 2012|Wyoming]] || 3 ||69,286||27.82%||170,962||68.64%||5,326||2.14%||0||0.00%||3,487||1.40%||−101,676||−40.82%||249,061
|-
!U.S. Total||538||65,910,437||51.07%||60,932,795||47.21%||1,275,951||0.99%||469,583||0.36%||480,428||0.37%||4,977,642||3.86%||129,069,194
|}

====Maine and Nebraska district results====
<sup>★</sup>Maine and Nebraska each allow for their electoral votes to be split between candidates.  In the 2012 election, all four of Maine's electoral votes were won by Obama and all five of Nebraska's electoral votes were won by Romney. The following table records the official presidential vote tallies for Maine and Nebraska's congressional districts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/2012-certificates/pdfs/ascertainment-maine.pdf|title=State of Maine Certificate of Ascertainment of Electors|accessdate=December 18, 2012}}</ref><ref name=nebraska>{{cite web|url=http://www.sos.ne.gov/elec/2012/pdf/2012-general-canvass.pdf|title=Official Results of Nebraska General Election – November 6, 2012|accessdate=December 26, 2012}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right;"
|-
!District
![[Barack Obama|Obama]]!!%
![[Mitt Romney|Romney]]!!%
![[Gary Johnson|Johnson]]!!%
![[Jill Stein|Stein]]!!%
![[Randall Terry|Terry]]!!%
!Margin
!%
!Total
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Maine's 1st congressional district]]
||223,035||59.57%||142,937||38.18%||4,501||1.20%||3,946||1.05%||0||0.00%||80,098||21.39%||374,419
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Maine's 2nd congressional district]]
||177,998||52.94%||149,215||44.38%||4,843||1.44%||4,170||1.24%||0||0.00%||28,783||8.56%||336,226
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Nebraska's 1st congressional district]]
||108,082||40.83%||152,021||57.43%||3,847||1.45%||0||0.00%||762||0.29%||−43,939||−16.60%||264,712
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Nebraska's 2nd congressional district]]
||121,889||45.70%||140,976||52.85%||3,393||1.27%||0||0.00%||469||0.18%||−19,087||−7.16%||266,727
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|style="text-align:left;"|[[Nebraska's 3rd congressional district]]
||72,110||27.82%||182,067||70.24%||3,869||1.49%||0||0.00%||1,177||0.45%||−109,957||−42.42%||259,223
|}

===Close races===
[[Image:Election-state-08-12.png|thumb|285px|Swing from [[United States presidential election, 2008|2008]] to 2012 in each state. Only six states trended more Democratic in 2012: Alaska, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, and New York.  The arrows to the right represent how many places up or down on the list the state moved since 2008. States are listed by (increasing) percentage of Democratic votes.]]

<span style="color:#cc0010;">Red font color</span> denotes states (or congressional districts that contribute an electoral vote) won by Republican Mitt Romney; <span style="color:#0030cc;">blue</span> denotes those won by Democrat Barack Obama.

States where the margin of victory was under 5% (75 electoral votes):

# <span style="color:#0030cc;">Florida, 0.88%</span>
# <span style="color:#cc0010;">North Carolina, 2.04%</span>
# <span style="color:#0030cc;">Ohio, 2.98%</span>
# <span style="color:#0030cc;">Virginia, 3.87%</span>

States/districts where the margin of victory was between 5% and 10% (119 electoral votes):
# <span style="color:#0030cc;">Colorado, 5.37%</span>
# <span style="color:#0030cc;">Pennsylvania, 5.39%</span>
# <span style="color:#0030cc;">New Hampshire, 5.58%</span>
# <span style="color:#0030cc;">Iowa, 5.81%</span>
# <span style="color:#0030cc;">Nevada, 6.68%</span>
# <span style="color:#0030cc;">Wisconsin, 6.94%</span>
# <span style="color:#cc0010;">Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, 7.16%</span>
# <span style="color:#0030cc;">Minnesota, 7.69%</span>
# <span style="color:#cc0010;">Georgia, 7.82%</span>
# <span style="color:#0030cc;">Maine's 2nd Congressional District, 8.56%</span>
# <span style="color:#cc0010;">Arizona, 9.06%</span>
# <span style="color:#cc0010;">Missouri, 9.38%</span>
# <span style="color:#0030cc;">Michigan, 9.50%</span>

===Romney's concession===
[[File:Obama takes Romney concession call.jpg|thumb|upright|President Obama takes a phone call from Romney conceding the election early Wednesday morning in Chicago.]]

After the networks called Ohio (the state that was arguably the most critical for Romney, as no Republican had ever won the election without carrying it) for Obama at around 11:15 PM [[Eastern Standard Time (North America)|EST]] on Election Day, Romney was at first reluctant to concede the race, as many counties in Ohio were still outstanding. However, after Colorado was called for the President, in tandem with Obama's apparent lead in Florida, Romney acknowledged that he had lost and conceded at around 1:00 AM [[Eastern Standard Time (North America)|EST]] on November 7.

Despite public polling showing Romney behind Obama in the most crucial swing states, such as Ohio, the Romney campaign said they were genuinely surprised by the loss, having believed that public polling was oversampling Democrats.<ref name=Adviser:>{{cite news |title=Adviser: Romney "shellshocked" by loss |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57547239/adviser-romney-shellshocked-by-loss/?pageNum=1&tag=page |accessdate=November 10, 2012 |website=CBS News |date=November 8, 2012}}</ref> The Romney campaign had already set up a transition website, and had scheduled and purchased a fireworks display to celebrate in case he won the election.<ref>{{cite news |title=Romney's Transition Site |url=http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/11/07/romneys_transition_site.html |accessdate=November 30, 2012 |newspaper=Political Wire |date=November 7, 2012}}</ref><ref name="Romney campaign spent $25,000 on fireworks">{{cite news |title=Romney campaign spent $25,000 on fireworks |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2012/11/09/romney-campaign-spent-fireworks/YrFOs5OEgE98XvjBJ9nItJ/story.html |accessdate=November 10, 2012 |newspaper=Boston Globe |date=November 9, 2012}}</ref>

On November 30, 2012, it was revealed that shortly before the election, internal polling done by the Romney campaign had shown Romney ahead in Colorado and New Hampshire, tied in Iowa, and within a few points of Obama in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Ohio.<ref>{{cite news |title=When Internal Polls Mislead, a Whole Campaign May Be to Blame  |url=http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/01/when-internal-polls-mislead-a-whole-campaign-may-be-to-blame/ |accessdate=December 21, 2012 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 1, 2012}}</ref> In addition, the Romney campaign had assumed that they would win Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia.<ref>{{cite news |title=Exclusive: The Internal Polls That Made Mitt Romney Think He'd Win  |url=http://www.tnr.com/blog/plank/110597/exclusive-the-polls-made-mitt-romney-think-hed-win |accessdate=November 30, 2012 |newspaper=[[The New Republic]] |date=November 30, 2012}}</ref> The polls had made Romney and his campaign team so confident of their victory that Romney did not write a [[Concession (politics)|concession speech]] until Obama's victory was announced.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/romneys-belief-in-himself-never-wavered/2012/11/07/50cd03fc-27b8-11e2-9972-71bf64ea091c_story.html |title=Romney's belief in himself never wavered|work=[[The Washington Post]] |first=Phillip |last=Rucker |date=November 7, 2012| accessdate=November 30, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/11/whole-romney-ticket-believed-unskewed-polls/58852/ |title=The Whole Romney Ticket Believed in Unskewed Polls?|work=[[The Atlantic Wire]] |first=Elspeth |last=Reeve |date=November 8, 2012| accessdate=December 17, 2012}}</ref>

===Reactions===
{{further|International reactions to the United States presidential election, 2012}}
Foreign leaders reacted with both positive and mixed messages. Most world leaders congratulated and praised Barack Obama on his re-election victory. However, Venezuela and some other states had tempered reactions. Pakistan commented that Romney's defeat had made [[Pakistan-United States relations]] safer. Stock markets fell noticeably after Obama's re-election, with the [[Dow Jones Industrial Average]], [[NASDAQ]], and the [[S&P 500]] each declining over two percent the day after the election.<ref name=WSJ-DOW>{{cite news |last=Cheng |first=Jonathan |title=Dow's 300-Point Slide Takes It Back to August Levels |url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323894704578104153584769278.html?mod=wsj_streaming_markets |accessdate=November 7, 2012 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=November 7, 2012}}</ref> The main reason given for the sharp drop was the potential of an unresolved "fiscal cliff" due to the continued split control of the House, the Senate, and the White House.

==Voter demographics==
{| class=wikitable
|-
! colspan="8" | 2012 Presidential vote by demographic subgroup
|-
! Demographic subgroup
! {{party shading/Democratic}}|Obama
! {{party shading/Republican}}|Romney
! {{party shading/Independent}}|Other
! % of<br>total vote
|-
| Total vote
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 51
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 47
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 100
|-
! colspan=5|Ideology
|-
| [[Modern liberalism in the United States|Liberals]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 86
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 11
| style="text-align:right;" | 3
| style="text-align:right;" | 25
|-
| [[Moderates]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 56
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 41
| style="text-align:right;" | 3
| style="text-align:right;" | 40
|-
| [[Conservatism in the United States|Conservatives]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 17
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 82
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 35
|-
! colspan=5|Party
|-
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 92
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 7
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 38
|-
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 6
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 93
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 32
|-
| [[Independent (voter)|Independents]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 45
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 50
| style="text-align:right;" | 5
| style="text-align:right;" | 29
|-
! colspan=5|Gender
|-
| Men
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 45
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 52
| style="text-align:right;" | 3
| style="text-align:right;" | 47
|-
| Women
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 55
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 44
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 53
|-
! colspan=5|Gender by marital status
|-
| Married men
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 38
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 60
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 29
|-
| Married women
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 46
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 53
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 31
|-
| Non-married men
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 56
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 40
| style="text-align:right;" | 4
| style="text-align:right;" | 18
|-
| Non-married women
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 67
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 31
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 23
|-
! colspan=5|Race
|-
| [[White American|White]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 39
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 59
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 72
|-
| [[African American|Black]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 93
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 6
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 13
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 71
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 27
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 10
|-
| [[Asian American|Asian]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 73
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 26
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 3
|-
| Other
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 58
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 38
| style="text-align:right;" | 4
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
|-
! colspan=5|Religion
|-
| [[Protestantism|Protestant]] or other Christian
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 43
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 56
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 51
|-
| [[Catholic Church in the United States|Catholic]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 50
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 48
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 25
|-
| [[Mormon]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 21
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 78
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
|-
| [[American Jews|Jewish]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 69
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 30
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
|-
| Other
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 74
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 23
| style="text-align:right;" | 3
| style="text-align:right;" | 7
|-
| [[Irreligion|None]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 70
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 26
| style="text-align:right;" | 4
| style="text-align:right;" | 12
|-
! colspan=5|Religious service attendance
|-
| More than once a week
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 36
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 63
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 14
|-
| Once a week
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 41
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 58
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 28
|-
| A few times a month
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 55
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 44
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 13
|-
| A few times a year
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 56
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 42
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 27
|-
| Never
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 62
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 34
| style="text-align:right;" | 4
| style="text-align:right;" | 17
|-
! colspan=5|White evangelical or born-again Christian?
|-
| [[Christian right|White evangelical or born-again Christian]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 21
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 78
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 26
|-
| Everyone else
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 60
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 37
| style="text-align:right;" | 3
| style="text-align:right;" | 74
|-
! colspan=5|Age
|-
| 18–24 years old
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 60
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 36
| style="text-align:right;" | 4
| style="text-align:right;" | 11
|-
| 25–29 years old
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 60
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 38
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 8
|-
| 30–39 years old
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 55
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 42
| style="text-align:right;" | 3
| style="text-align:right;" | 17
|-
| 40–49 years old
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 48
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 50
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 20
|-
| 50–64 years old
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 47
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 52
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 28
|-
| 65 and older
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 44
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 56
| style="text-align:right;" | 0
| style="text-align:right;" | 16
|-
! colspan=5|Sexual orientation
|-
| [[LGBT|Gay, lesbian, or bisexual]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 76
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 22
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 5
|-
| [[Heterosexuality|Heterosexual]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#d0c0d7;"| 49
| style="text-align:right; background:#d0c0d7;"| 49
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 95
|-
! colspan=5|Education
|-
| Not a [[Secondary education in the United States|high school]] graduate
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 64
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 35
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 3
|-
| High school graduate
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 51
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 48
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 21
|-
| Some [[Higher education in the United States|college]] education
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 49
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 48
| style="text-align:right;" | 3
| style="text-align:right;" | 29
|-
| College graduate
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 47
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 51
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 29
|-
| [[Postgraduate education]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 55
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 42
| style="text-align:right;" | 3
| style="text-align:right;" | 18
|-
! colspan=5|Family income
|-
| Under $30,000
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 63
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 35
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 20
|-
| $30,000–49,999
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 57
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 42
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 21
|-
| $50,000–99,999
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 46
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 52
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 31
|-
| $100,000–199,999
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 44
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 54
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 21
|-
| $200,000–249,999
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 47
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 52
| style="text-align:right;" | 1
| style="text-align:right;" | 3
|-
| Over $250,000
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 42
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 55
| style="text-align:right;" | 3
| style="text-align:right;" | 4
|-
! colspan=5|Region
|-
| [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 59
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 39
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 21
|-
| [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 51
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 47
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 24
|-
| [[Southern United States|South]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 44
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 54
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 34
|-
| [[Western United States|West]]
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 54
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 43
| style="text-align:right;" | 3
| style="text-align:right;" | 21
|-
! colspan=5|Community size
|-
| Big cities (population over 500,000)
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 69
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 29
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 11
|-
| Mid-sized cities (population 50,000 to 500,000)
| style="text-align:right; background:#b0ceff;"| 58
| style="text-align:right; background:#fff3f3;"| 40
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 21
|-
| Suburbs
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 48
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 50
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 47
|-
| Towns (population 10,000 to 50,000)
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 42
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 56
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 8
|-
| Rural areas
| style="text-align:right; background:#f0f0ff;"| 37
| style="text-align:right; background:#ffb6b6;"| 61
| style="text-align:right;" | 2
| style="text-align:right;" | 14
|}
'''Source:''' Exit polls conducted by Edison Research of Somerville, N.J., for the National Election Pool, a consortium of ABC News, Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, Fox News,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2012-exit-poll|title=Fox News Exit Polls|accessdate=January 27, 2013}}</ref> and NBC News.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/results/president/exit-polls|title=President Exit Polls|publisher=New York Times|accessdate=January 27, 2013}}</ref> Total vote and results by region are based on the [[United States presidential election, 2012#Votes by state|"Votes by state"]] section of this article.

==Analysis==
Combined with the re-elections of [[Bill Clinton]] and [[George W. Bush]], Obama's victory in the 2012 election marked only the second time in American history that three consecutive presidents were each elected to two or more full terms (the first time being the consecutive two-term presidencies of [[Thomas Jefferson]], [[James Madison]], and [[James Monroe]]).<ref name=cnbc110712>{{cite news|last=Hum|first=Robert|title=Two-Term Presidency Musings|url=http://www.cnbc.com/id/49722770/TwoTerm_Presidency_Musings|accessdate=February 12, 2013|publisher=CNBC|date=November 7, 2012}}</ref> This was also the first election since [[United States presidential election, 1944|1944]] in which neither of the major candidates had any military experience.

The 2012 election marked the first time since [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s last two re-elections in [[United States presidential election, 1940|1940]] and [[United States presidential election, 1944|1944]] that a Democratic presidential candidate won a majority of the popular vote in two consecutive elections.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.thenation.com/blog/171178/obama-has-great-big-mandate-and-he-must-use-it# |title= Obama's 3 Million Vote, Electoral College Landslide, Majority of States Mandate |last=Nichols |first=John |date=November 9, 2012 |work=The Nation |location= New York |accessdate= November 18, 2012}}</ref> Obama was also the first president of either party to secure at least 51% of the popular vote in two elections since [[Dwight Eisenhower]] in 1952 and 1956.<ref name=bloom010413>{{cite news |last= Giroux |first=Greg |title=Final Tally Shows Obama First Since '56 to Win 51% Twice |url= http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-03/final-tally-shows-obama-first-since-56-to-win-51-twice.html |accessdate=February 12, 2013 |newspaper=Bloomberg |date=January 4, 2013}}</ref> Overall, Obama is the third Democratic president to secure at least 51% of the vote twice, after [[Andrew Jackson]] and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Romney lost his home state of [[Massachusetts]], becoming the first major party presidential candidate to lose his home state since Democrat [[Al Gore]] lost his home state of [[Tennessee]] to Republican George W. Bush in the [[2000 election]].<ref name=guard101912>{{cite news |last= Gabbatt |first=Adam |title=Romney poised to lose home state by wider margin than any other candidate |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/19/romney-lose-home-state-massachusetts |accessdate=February 12, 2013 |newspaper=The Guardian |location =London |date=October 19, 2012}}</ref> Romney lost his home state by more than 23%, the worst losing margin for a major party candidate since [[John Frémont]] in [[United States presidential election, 1856|1856]].<ref name=smpo111412 /> Even worse than Frémont, Romney failed to win a single county in his home state.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/datagraph.php?fips=25&year=2012&off=0&elect=0&f=0 |accessdate=March 8, 2013 |title=2012 Presidential General Election Data – Massachusetts by County |publisher=Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://geoelections.free.fr/USA/elec_comtes/1856.htm |accessdate=March 9, 2013 |title= Presidential Election of 1856 – Map by counties |publisher=Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections}}</ref> In addition, since Obama carried Ryan's home state of [[Wisconsin]], the Romney–Ryan ticket was the first major party ticket since the [[United States presidential election, 1972|1972 election]] to have both of its nominees lose their home states.<ref name=smpo111412>{{cite news |last=Ostermeier |first=Eric |title=20 Presidential Tickets That Lost Both Home States |url= http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cspg/smartpolitics/2012/11/20_presidential_tickets_that_l.php |accessdate=February 12, 2013|work=Smart Politics (University of Minnesota blog) |date=November 14, 2012}}</ref>

[[Gary Johnson]]'s popular vote total set a [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]] record, and his popular vote percentage is the second-best showing for a Libertarian in a presidential election, trailing only [[Ed Clark]]'s in [[United States presidential election, 1980|1980]].<ref name=upi110812>{{cite news|last=Harrington|first=Gerry|title=Libertarian Party buoyant; Greens hopeful|url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/11/08/Libertarian-Party-buoyant-Greens-hopeful/UPI-46151352363400/|accessdate=February 12, 2013|publisher=United Press International|date=November 8, 2012}}</ref>

==Maps==
<gallery widths="350px" heights="200px">
File:Cartogram—2012 Electoral Vote.svg|Cartogram of the electoral vote results, with each square representing one electoral vote.
File:2012 Presidential Election by County.svg|Results by county. Blue denotes counties that went to Obama; red denotes counties that went to Romney. Hawaii, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont had all counties go to Obama. Oklahoma, Utah, and West Virginia had all counties go to Romney.
File:2012nationwidecountymapshadedbypercentagewon.svg| Results by county, shaded according to winning candidate's percentage of the vote.
File:Red-blue-purple view of counties.png|Popular vote by county shaded on a scale from red/Republican to blue/Democratic.
File:Countycartpurple1024.png|Cartogram of popular vote by county shaded on a scale from red/Republican to blue/Democratic where each county has been rescaled in proportion to its population.
File:Presidential Elections 2008-2012 Swing in County Margins.svg| Change in popular vote margins at the county level from the 2008 election to the 2012 election. Blue denotes counties that voted more Democratic. Red denotes counties that voted more Republican. Romney's strongest improvements over McCain were in Utah and Appalachia, while Obama's strongest gains were in Alaska, the New York area, and the Gulf states.
File:2012 US congressional district presidential election.svg| Results by congressional district.
File:US Presidential Elections 2012.png|[[Treemapping|Treemap]] of the popular vote by county, state, and locally predominant recipient.
</gallery>

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="200px" heights="140px">
File:Empire State Building Blue Obama Election.JPG|The [[Empire State Building]] in [[New York City]] was lit blue when CNN called Ohio for Obama, projecting him the winner of the election. Likewise, red would have been used if Romney won.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/new-york-state-building-displays-election-results-article-1.1197707 |title= Empire State Building lights up to broadcast election results |first=Charlie |last=Wells |newspaper=[[New York Daily News]] |date=November 6, 2012}}</ref>
File:Obamas and Bidens on presidential election night 2012.jpg|The Obamas and the Bidens embrace following the television announcement of their victory.
File:Barack Obama election night victory 2012.jpg|The Obamas and the Bidens walk on stage at the election night victory celebration at [[McCormick Place]] in Chicago.
File:P112912PS-0444 - President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney in the Oval Office - crop.jpg|Romney meets with President Obama at the White House after the 2012 presidential election.
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|Politics|2010s}}
* [[Barack Obama religion conspiracy theories]]
* [[Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories]]
* [[United States Senate elections, 2012]]
* [[United States House elections, 2012]]
* [[United States gubernatorial elections, 2012]]
* [[United States third party and independent presidential candidates, 2012]]
* [[Nationwide opinion polling for the United States presidential election, 2012]]
* [[Statewide opinion polling for the United States presidential election, 2012]]
* [[United States presidential election, 2012 timeline]]
{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |editor-first=William G. |editor-last=Mayer |editor2-first=Jonathan |editor2-last=Bernstein |title=The Making of the Presidential Candidates, 2012 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-4422-1170-4}} Scholars explore nominations in the post-public-funding era, digital media and campaigns, television coverage, and the Tea Party.
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links |commons=Category:United States presidential election, 2012 |n=Category:2012 United States presidential election |wikt=no |b=no |q=no |s=no |v=no |display=2012 U.S. presidential election}}
* [http://www.fec.gov/press/press2011/presidential_form2nm.shtml 2012 Presidential Form 2 Filers] at the [[Federal Election Commission]] (FEC)
* [http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P12/ Election 2012 Presidential Primaries, Caucuses, and Conventions ]
* {{Dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/Society_and_Culture/Politics/Candidates_and_Campaigns/President}}
* [http://votenight.com/ 2012 Interactive Electoral Map]

{{United States presidential election, 2012}}
{{United States elections, 2012}}
{{United States presidential elections}}

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[[Category:United States presidential election, 2012| ]]
[[Category:Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2012]]
[[Category:History of the United States (1991–present)]]
[[Category:Joe Biden]]
[[Category:Mitt Romney]]
[[Category:Paul Ryan]]