2012 United States presidential election in Rhode Island explained

See main article: 2012 United States presidential election.

Election Name:2012 United States presidential election in Rhode Island
Country:Rhode Island
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2008 United States presidential election in Rhode Island
Previous Year:2008
Next Election:2016 United States presidential election in Rhode Island
Next Year:2016
Turnout:60.8%[1] 6.1 pp
Election Date:November 6, 2012
Image1:President Barack Obama, 2012 portrait crop.jpg
Nominee1:Barack Obama
Party1:Democratic Party (United States)
Home State1:Illinois
Electoral Vote1:4
Running Mate1:Joe Biden
Popular Vote1:279,677
Percentage1:62.70%
Nominee2:Mitt Romney
Party2:Republican Party (United States)
Home State2:Massachusetts
Running Mate2:Paul Ryan
Popular Vote2:157,204
Electoral Vote2:0
Percentage2:35.24%
President
Before Election:Barack Obama
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:Barack Obama
After Party:Democratic Party (United States)

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

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

Rhode Island was won by Democratic nominee Obama by a 27.46% margin of victory. This was the seventh straight win for the Democratic Party in Rhode Island on the presidential level. It was also the seventh time in a row that the Democratic nominee for president won all 5 counties – a streak which would be broken when Donald Trump won Kent County in 2016[2] – and the sixth consecutive time that a Republican nominee failed to break 40% of the vote in Rhode Island. Rhode Island has been a safe Democratic state since 1988, and has only voted for a Republican nominee four times since 1928 (all of which in landslide elections). State politics are dominated by the Providence and Warwick metropolitan areas, and Providence County gave Obama his largest margin in the state at 34.92%. However, white working class voters in the inland and diverse, urban voters on the coast alike consistently vote Democratic, enough to provide the Democratic nominee with landslide margins in each election.[3]

To date, this is the last time that the towns of Burrillville, Coventry, Exeter, Foster, Glocester, Hopkinton, Johnston, North Smithfield, and Smithfield voted Democratic, and the last time that the town of East Greenwich voted Republican.

Primary elections

Democratic primary

The 2012 Rhode Island Democratic primary was held April 24, 2012. Rhode Island awarded 40 delegates proportionally.

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

At the Rhode Island Democratic state convention held on June 21, 2012, 35 delegates were awarded to Barack Obama, with 5 delegates remaining unannounced.[4]

Rhode Island 2012 Democratic presidential primary
CandidateVotesPercentageAwarded Delegates
Barack Obama (incumbent)6,75983.38%35
Uncommitted1,13313.98%
Write-in2142.64%
Unannounced5
Totals8,106100.00%40

Republican primary

Election Name:2012 Rhode Island Republican presidential primary
Country:Rhode Island
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2008 Rhode Island Republican presidential primary
Previous Year:2008
Next Election:2016 Rhode Island Republican presidential primary
Next Year:2016
Image1:Mitt_Romney_by_Gage_Skidmore_6_cropped.jpg
Candidate1:Mitt Romney
Home State1:Massachusetts
Delegate Count1:12
Popular Vote1:9,157
Percentage1:63.02%
Candidate2:Ron Paul
Home State2:Texas
Delegate Count2:4
Popular Vote2:3,462
Percentage2:23.85%
Image3:Newt Gingrich by Gage Skidmore 3 (cropped).jpg
Candidate3:Newt Gingrich
Home State3:Georgia
Delegate Count3:0
Popular Vote3:878
Percentage3:6.04%
Map Size:230px
Color1:ff6600
Color2:ffcc00
Color3:800080

The 2012 Rhode Island Republican presidential primary took place on April 24, 2012.[5] Former Massachusetts Governor and frontrunner Mitt Romney received 63.02% of the vote, followed by U.S. Representative from Texas Ron Paul with 23.85% and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich with 6.04%. Former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum, who dropped out on April 10, received 5.66% of the vote.

2012 Rhode Island Republican presidential primary[6] [7]
CandidateVotesPercentageDelegates
Mitt Romney9,17863.02%12
Ron Paul3,47323.85%4
Newt Gingrich8806.04%0
Rick Santorum8255.66%0
Uncommitted1310.90%3
Buddy Roemer400.27%0
Write-in370.25%0
Unprojected delegates:0
Total:14,564100%19

General election

Results

2012 United States presidential election in Rhode Island[8]
PartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
DemocraticBarack Obama (incumbent)Joe Biden (incumbent)279,67762.70%4
RepublicanMitt RomneyPaul Ryan157,20435.24%0
LibertarianGary JohnsonJim Gray4,3880.98%0
GreenJill SteinCheri Honkala2,4210.54%0
Others & write-in2,3590.53%0
Totals446,049100.00%4
Voter turnout60.79%

Results by county

CountyBarack Obama
Democratic
Mitt Romney
Republican
Various candidates
Other parties
MarginTotal votes cast
%%%%
Bristol14,97460.68%9,23137.41%4711.91%5,74323.27%24,676
Kent45,56457.73%31,56740.00%1,7922.27%13,99717.73%78,923
Newport23,46359.47%15,20238.53%7872.00%8,26120.94%39,452
Providence159,52066.53%75,78531.61%4,4811.86%83,73534.92%239,786
Washington35,88857.07%25,36640.34%1,6252.59%10,52216.73%62,879
Totals279,67762.70%157,20435.24%9,1682.06%122,47327.46%446,049

Results by congressional district

Obama won both congressional districts.[9]

DistrictObamaRomneyRepresentative
66.21%32.18%David Cicilline
59.84%38.29%James Langevin

See also

External links

for Rhode Island

Major state elections in chronological order

Notes and References

  1. This figure is calculated by dividing the total number of votes cast in 2012 (446,049) by an estimate of the number of registered voters in Rhode Island in 2012 (732,860).
    • For the number of votes cast, see Web site: Official 2012 Presidential General Election Results. Rhode Island Board of Elections. November 26, 2012. February 6, 2018.
    • For the estimated number of registered voters, see Web site: STATEWIDE - VOTER REGISTRATION SUMMARY. Rhode Island Board of Elections. November 14, 2012. February 6, 2018. July 26, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150726000251/http://www.elections.state.ri.us/publications/Election_Publications/Voter_Registration/11-01-12_RI_VR_STATS.pdf. dead.
  2. Web site: Rhode Island 2016 Presidential And State Election Results. 2020-11-17. NPR.org. en.
  3. Web site: The Road to 270: Rhode Island. 2020-11-17. 270toWin.com.
  4. Web site: Rhode Island Democrat. The Green Papers. November 14, 2012.
  5. News: Presidential Primary Dates. Federal Election Commission. January 23, 2012.
  6. Web site: REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE. 25 April 2012.
  7. http://www.ri.gov/election/results/2012/presidential_preference_primary/races/108.html State of Rhode Island official election results
  8. Web site: State of Rhode Island Board of Elections. November 14, 2012 .
  9. Web site: Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts. Daily Kos. 11 August 2020.