United States presidential election of 2012
The United States presidential election of 2012 was significantly shaped by issues surrounding economic recovery and job creation in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, alongside discussions about taxation and the federal deficit. Incumbent President Barack Obama secured the Democratic nomination with minimal opposition, while the Republican primary saw a competitive field, ultimately leading to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney becoming the nominee with running mate Paul Ryan. This election was notable for being the most expensive in U.S. history, with campaign spending surpassing $2 billion, largely driven by super political action committees (PACs).
The election included three presidential debates and was marked by tight polling between Obama and Romney. Noteworthy incidents included criticism directed at Obama regarding the Benghazi attack and a controversial video of Romney expressing disinterest in the votes of a portion of the electorate. On November 6, 2012, the election culminated with Obama receiving 332 electoral votes and winning the popular vote by over five million votes. Romney conceded the election on November 7, while Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson made history by receiving the most votes for his party, although still less than 1 percent of the total. The election reaffirmed Obama’s presidency, as he retained nearly all states he had previously won in 2008, save for a few exceptions.
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United States presidential election of 2012
The presidential election of 2012 focused on the key domestic issues of economic recovery and job creation following the global financial crisis of 2008, as well as taxation and the federal deficit. While President Barack Obama, the incumbent candidate, won the Democratic presidential nomination with little opposition, a number of high-profile candidates vied for the Republican nomination during the primary elections. Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, ultimately clinched the Republican nomination, although he and his running mate, Paul Ryan, would ultimately lose the popular vote and the Electoral College.
The 2012 US presidential election was also significant for being the most expensive presidential race in history and the first to surpass $2 billion in campaign spending, with large sums of money being raised and contributed by super political action committees (PACs).
Overview
Having secured the necessary number of delegates in primaries and caucuses to secure the Democratic nomination, President Barack Obama filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission and announced his bid for reelection on April 4, 2012. A number of high-profile candidates announced their campaigns for the Republican nomination, including former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, Texas representative Ron Paul, former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, businessman Herman Cain, former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, former Utah governor John Huntsman, Minnesota representative Michele Bachmann, and Texas governor Rick Perry.
The Ames Straw Poll was held in Iowa on August 13, 2011, which Bachmann won, narrowly beating out Paul. However, Bachmann’s popularity would wane over the coming months. Cain won the Florida 5 and the Sioux Falls straw polls, but he was forced to withdraw from the race after several women came forward and accused him of sexual harassment. Johnson withdrew from the race on December 28, 2011, in order to seek the Libertarian nomination. By a small margin, Santorum beat out Romney in the Iowa Republican caucuses on January 3, 2012. Due to weak polling results, Bachmann announced the suspension of her presidential campaign on January 4. Huntsman and Perry withdrew from the race a few weeks later, endorsing Romney and Gingrich, respectively. Romney won the New Hampshire Republican primary on January 10 and Gingrich won the South Carolina Republican primary on January 21. This was the first time in modern Republican Party history that three different candidates—Bachmann, Romney, and Gingrich—had won the first three primary contests.
Over the following months, Romney, Santorum, and Gingrich dominated the caucuses and primary contests, although Romney would ultimately earn the most delegates by a wide margin. Santorum suspended his campaign on April 10 and the Republican National Committee named Romney the party’s presumptive nominee on April 25. Gingrich suspended his campaign a week later, on May 2. Gary Johnson secured the presidential nomination of the Libertarian Party and Jill Stein won the Green Party nomination.
On August 11, Romney selected Wisconsin representative Paul Ryan as his running mate, and the Republican National Convention officially nominated Romney and Ryan for president and vice president on August 27. The Democratic National Convention nominated Obama and Vice President Joe Biden for reelection a few days later. Three presidential debates were held throughout October, and nationwide polls revealed a tight contest between Obama and Romney. Obama drew criticism for the government’s response to an attack on the US embassy in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012, which resulted in the deaths of four Americans. Romney lost traction in the polls following the release of a secretly recorded video in which he said that he was not interested in seeking the vote of the “47 percent of Americans” whom he believed to be dependent on the government.
The presidential election was held on November 6, 2012, with Obama earning 332 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency and garnering five million more popular votes than Romney. Although Libertarian Gary Johnson earned less than 1 percent of the vote, he garnered more votes than any Libertarian presidential candidate in history. Obama carried nearly all of the states and districts that he had won in 2008, with the exception of North Carolina, Indiana, and Nebraska’s second congressional district. Romney conceded the election on November 7.
Bibliography
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Henderson, Greg. “Most Expensive Presidential Campaign Ended in Sprint to Spend.” NPR. NPR, 7 Dec. 2012. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.
Liptak, Adam. “Justices, 5–4, Reject Corporate Spending Limit.” New York Times. New York Times, 21 Jan. 2010. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.
Nichols, John. “Obama’s 3 Million Vote, Electoral College Landslide, Majority of States Mandate.” Nation. Nation, 9 Nov. 2012. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.
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Sullivan, Sean. “Third-Party Presidential Candidates Rail against Obama and Romney at Debate.” Washington Post. Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2012. Web. 30 Sept. 2013.