2012 United States presidential election in North Carolina explained

See main article: 2012 United States presidential election.

Election Name:	2012 United States presidential election in North Carolina
Country:	North Carolina
Type:	presidential
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2008 United States presidential election in North Carolina
Previous Year:	2008
Election Date:	November 6, 2012
Next Election:	2016 United States presidential election in North Carolina
Next Year:	2016
Image1:	Mitt Romney by Gage Skidmore 6 cropped.jpg
Nominee1:	Mitt Romney
Party1:	Republican Party (United States)
Home State1:	Massachusetts
Running Mate1:	Paul Ryan
Electoral Vote1:	15
Popular Vote1:	2,270,395
Percentage1:	50.39%
President
Before Election:	Barack Obama
Before Party:	Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:	Barack Obama
After Party:	Democratic Party (United States)
Nominee2:	Barack Obama
Party2:	Democratic Party (United States)
Home State2:	Illinois
Running Mate2:	Joe Biden
Electoral Vote2:	0
Popular Vote2:	2,178,391
Percentage2:	48.35%

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

Romney narrowly carried the state of North Carolina, winning 50.39% of the vote to Obama's 48.35%, a margin of 2.04 percentage points. North Carolina was one of just two states (along with Indiana) that flipped from voting for Obama in 2008 to voting Republican in 2012. Like Indiana, North Carolina had been a reliably Republican state prior to Obama's 2008 win, having not previously gone Democratic since 1976. Unlike Indiana, however, North Carolina was still considered a competitive swing state in 2012, and both campaigns targeted it heavily, with the Democrats holding their convention in Charlotte. Romney was the first presidential candidate since Zachary Taylor in 1848 to carry North Carolina while losing both Wake County and Mecklenburg County, the two most populous counties and home to the cities of Raleigh and Charlotte, respectively. Romney also became the third-ever Republican to carry North Carolina without winning the presidency after George H. W. Bush in 1992 and Bob Dole in 1996 and this feat would be reprised by Donald Trump in 2020. Obama became the first ever Democrat incumbent to win the state only once to then win re-election without it. Although Obama lost North Carolina to Romney, he received more votes than he received in 2008, garnering 35,740 more.

Obama became the first Democrat ever to win the presidency without Caswell and Hyde counties. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last time where the Republican presidential candidate won Watauga County and where the Democratic presidential candidate won Bladen County, Gates County, Granville County, Martin County, Richmond County, and Robeson County. This is also the last time that any presidential candidate won the majority of the vote in North Carolina.

Primary elections

Democratic primary

The 2012 North Carolina Democratic primary was held May 8, 2012. North Carolina awarded 157 delegates proportionally.^[1]

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

At the North Carolina Democratic state convention, 152 delegates were awarded to Obama, with 5 delegates remaining unannounced.

Democratic primary election in North Carolina^[2]
Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Awarded delegates
Barack Obama (incumbent)	766,077	79.23%	104
No Preference	200,810	20.77%	43
Totals	966,889	100.00%	104

Republican primary

The 2012 North Carolina Republican primary was held May 8, 2012.^[3] ^[4] North Carolina awarded 55 delegates proportionally.^[5] Ron Paul and Mitt Romney were the only active contenders on the ballot. By the time of the primary, Romney had already been declared the party's presumptive nominee.^[6]

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

Republican primary election in North Carolina
Candidate	"style="width: 5em"	Votes	Percentage	Awarded delegates
Mitt Romney	638,601	65.62%	48
Ron Paul	108,217	11.12%	7
Rick Santorum (withdrawn)	101,093	10.39%
Newt Gingrich (withdrawn)	74,367	7.64%
No Preference	50,928	5.23%
Totals	973,206	100.00%	55

General election

Polling

Statewide opinion polling for the 2012 United States presidential election

Throughout most of 2011, Obama won or tied with Romney in every poll. On September 25, 2011, Romney won a poll for the first time, 50% to 39%. Until May 2012, Obama had a consistent but narrow lead over Romney. Throughout the summer of 2012, the tide changed with Romney winning more polls than Obama. In September, Obama's momentum rose and Obama won most polls in September 2012. In October, the tide changed in Romney's favor, and Obama had not won a poll since October 1, 2012. Romney won every poll for the first three weeks in October, but then many polls came as tied between Obama and Romney. Romney led the last poll 50% to 46%, but the second last poll was tied.^[7] The last three polls showed an average of Romney leading 49% to 48%, which was accurate compared to the results.^[7]

Overview

2012 United States presidential election in North Carolina^[8]
Party		Candidate	Running mate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	Republican	Mitt Romney	Paul Ryan	2,270,395	50.39%	15
	Democratic	Barack Obama (incumbent)	Joe Biden (incumbent)	2,178,391	48.35%	0
	Libertarian		Jim Gray	44,515	0.99%	0
	Others (write-in)			12,071	0.27%	0
Totals				4,505,372	100.00%	15
Voter turnout (registered voters)						67.74%

By county

County	Mitt Romney Republican		Barack Obama Democratic		Various candidates Other parties		Margin		Total
County		%		%		%		%	Total
	Alamance		38,170		56.32%		28,875		42.60%	731	1.08%	9,295	13.72%	67,776
	Alexander		12,253		71.25%		4,611		26.81%	332	1.94%	7,642	44.44%	17,196
	Alleghany		3,390		66.90%		1,583		31.24%	94	1.86%	1,807	35.66%	5,067
	Anson		4,166		37.01%		7,019		62.36%	71	0.63%	−2,853	−25.35%	11,256
	Ashe		8,242		65.36%		4,116		32.64%	252	2.00%	4,126	32.72%	12,610
	Avery		5,766		74.31%		1,882		24.26%	111	1.43%	3,884	50.05%	7,759
	Beaufort		13,977		59.17%		9,435		39.94%	208	0.89%	4,542	19.23%	23,620
	Bertie		3,387		33.46%		6,695		66.14%	41	0.40%	−3,308	−32.68%	10,123
	Bladen		7,748		48.56%		8,062		50.52%	147	0.92%	−314	−1.96%	15,957
	Brunswick		34,743		60.57%		22,038		38.42%	581	1.01%	12,705	22.15%	57,362
	Buncombe		54,701		42.84%		70,625		55.31%	2,370	1.85%	−15,924	−12.47%	127,696
	Burke		22,267		60.93%		13,701		37.49%	576	1.58%	8,566	23.44%	36,544
	Cabarrus		49,557		59.30%		32,849		39.31%	1,160	1.39%	16,708	19.99%	83,566
	Caldwell		23,229		66.88%		10,898		31.38%	605	1.74%	12,331	35.50%	34,732
	Camden		3,109		66.09%		1,508		32.06%	87	1.85%	1,601	34.03%	4,704
	Carteret		24,775		69.76%		10,301		29.00%	441	1.24%	14,474	40.76%	35,517
	Caswell		5,594		50.67%		5,348		48.45%	97	0.88%	246	2.22%	11,039
	Catawba		44,538		63.99%		24,069		34.58%	994	1.43%	20,469	29.41%	69,601
	Chatham		16,665		47.03%		18,361		51.82%	408	1.15%	−1,696	−4.79%	35,434
	Cherokee		9,278		72.11%		3,378		26.25%	211	1.64%	5,900	45.86%	12,867
	Chowan		3,891		51.85%		3,556		47.38%	58	0.77%	335	4.47%	7,505
	Clay		3,973		70.42%		1,579		27.99%	90	1.59%	2,394	42.43%	5,642
	Cleveland		25,793		59.51%		17,062		39.37%	485	1.12%	8,731	20.14%	43,340
	Columbus		12,941		53.38%		11,050		45.58%	252	1.04%	1,891	7.80%	24,243
	Craven		26,928		58.32%		18,763		40.64%	479	1.04%	8,165	17.68%	46,170
	Cumberland		50,666		39.69%		75,792		59.38%	1,183	0.93%	−25,126	−19.69%	127,641
	Currituck		7,496		66.31%		3,562		31.51%	246	2.18%	3,934	34.80%	11,304
	Dare		10,248		57.02%		7,393		41.13%	333	1.85%	2,855	15.89%	17,974
	Davidson		49,383		69.62%		20,624		29.07%	928	1.31%	28,759	40.55%	70,935
	Davie		14,687		71.05%		5,735		27.75%	248	1.20%	8,952	43.30%	20,670
	Duplin		11,416		55.44%		9,033		43.87%	143	0.69%	2,383	11.57%	20,592
	Durham		33,769		23.01%		111,224		75.80%	1,742	1.19%	−77,455	−52.79%	146,735
	Edgecombe		8,546		31.68%		18,310		67.89%	116	0.43%	−9,764	−36.21%	26,972
	Forsyth		79,768		45.83%		92,323		53.04%	1,978	1.13%	−12,555	−7.21%	174,069
	Franklin		14,603		51.44%		13,436		47.33%	350	1.23%	1,167	4.11%	28,389
	Gaston		56,138		62.04%		33,171		36.66%	1,174	1.30%	22,967	25.38%	90,483
	Gates		2,564		47.52%		2,786		51.63%	46	0.85%	−222	−4.11%	5,396
	Graham		2,750		69.67%		1,119		28.35%	78	1.98%	1,631	41.32%	3,947
	Granville		12,405		47.21%		13,598		51.75%	272	1.04%	−1,193	−4.54%	26,275
	Greene		4,411		53.56%		3,778		45.87%	47	0.57%	633	7.69%	8,236
	Guilford		104,789		41.28%		146,365		57.66%	2,698	1.06%	−41,576	−16.38%	253,852
	Halifax		8,763		33.60%		17,176		65.86%	140	0.54%	−8,413	−32.26%	26,079
	Harnett		25,565		58.89%		17,331		39.92%	519	1.19%	8,234	18.97%	43,415
	Haywood		15,633		55.88%		11,833		42.30%	508	1.82%	3,800	13.58%	27,974
	Henderson		32,994		62.98%		18,642		35.58%	756	1.44%	14,352	27.40%	52,392
	Hertford		3,007		27.54%		7,843		71.84%	68	0.62%	−4,836	−44.30%	10,918
	Hoke		6,819		39.90%		10,076		58.96%	194	1.14%	−3,257	−19.06%	17,089
	Hyde		1,193		50.06%		1,163		48.80%	27	1.14%	30	1.26%	2,383
	Iredell		49,299		64.56%		26,076		34.15%	990	1.29%	23,223	30.41%	76,365
	Jackson		8,254		49.42%		8,095		48.47%	352	2.11%	159	0.95%	16,701
	Johnston		48,427		63.15%		27,290		35.58%	974	1.27%	21,137	27.57%	76,691
	Jones		2,837		54.24%		2,352		44.97%	41	0.79%	485	9.27%	5,230
	Lee		13,158		54.28%		10,801		44.56%	280	1.16%	2,357	9.72%	24,239
	Lenoir		13,980		49.78%		13,948		49.66%	158	0.56%	32	0.12%	28,086
	Lincoln		25,267		68.71%		11,024		29.98%	484	1.31%	14,243	38.73%	36,775
	Macon		10,835		64.26%		5,712		33.88%	314	1.86%	5,123	30.38%	16,861
	Madison		5,404		53.44%		4,484		44.34%	225	2.22%	920	9.10%	10,113
	Martin		5,995		47.38%		6,583		52.03%	74	0.59%	−588	−4.65%	12,652
	McDowell		11,775		65.06%		6,031		33.32%	293	1.62%	5,744	31.74%	18,099
	Mecklenburg		171,668		38.24%		272,262		60.65%	4,970	1.11%	−100,594	−22.41%	448,900
	Mitchell		5,806		74.77%		1,838		23.67%	121	1.56%	3,968	51.10%	7,765
	Montgomery		6,404		57.02%		4,706		41.90%	121	1.08%	1,698	15.12%	11,231
	Moore		29,495		63.55%		16,505		35.56%	415	0.89%	12,990	27.99%	46,415
	Nash		23,842		49.17%		24,313		50.14%	337	0.69%	−471	−0.97%	48,492
	New Hanover		53,385		51.52%		48,668		46.96%	1,575	1.52%	4,717	4.56%	103,628
	Northampton		3,483		32.38%		7,232		67.24%	41	0.38%	−3,749	−34.86%	10,756
	Onslow		32,243		62.69%		18,490		35.95%	702	1.36%	13,753	26.74%	51,435
	Orange		21,539		28.06%		53,901		70.22%	1,317	1.72%	−32,362	−42.16%	76,757
	Pamlico		4,051		59.91%		2,647		39.15%	64	0.94%	1,404	20.76%	6,762
	Pasquotank		7,633		42.15%		10,282		56.78%	192	1.07%	−2,649	−14.63%	18,107
	Pender		14,617		59.60%		9,632		39.27%	278	1.13%	4,985	20.33%	24,527
	Perquimans		3,822		57.46%		2,759		41.48%	71	1.06%	1,063	15.98%	6,652
	Person		10,496		54.94%		8,418		44.06%	192	1.00%	2,078	10.88%	19,106
	Pitt		36,214		45.92%		41,843		53.06%	799	1.02%	−5,629	−7.14%	78,856
	Polk		6,236		60.03%		4,013		38.63%	140	1.34%	2,223	21.40%	10,389
	Randolph		45,160		74.38%		14,773		24.33%	782	1.29%	30,387	50.05%	60,715
	Richmond		9,332		48.06%		9,904		51.01%	181	0.93%	−572	−2.95%	19,417
	Robeson		17,510		40.77%		24,988		58.18%	448	1.05%	−7,478	−17.41%	42,946
	Rockingham		25,227		60.04%		16,351		38.91%	442	1.05%	8,876	21.13%	42,020
	Rowan		38,775		62.23%		22,650		36.35%	887	1.42%	16,125	25.88%	62,312
	Rutherford		18,954		66.04%		9,374		32.66%	374	1.30%	9,580	33.38%	28,702
	Sampson		14,422		55.10%		11,566		44.19%	186	0.71%	2,856	10.91%	26,174
	Scotland		5,831		41.19%		8,215		58.03%	110	0.78%	−2,384	−16.84%	14,156
	Stanly		19,904		69.31%		8,431		29.36%	382	1.33%	11,473	39.95%	28,717
	Stokes		15,237		70.48%		6,018		27.84%	364	1.68%	9,219	42.64%	21,619
	Surry		19,923		67.60%		9,112		30.92%	435	1.48%	10,811	36.68%	29,470
	Swain		2,976		51.96%		2,618		45.71%	134	2.33%	358	6.25%	5,728
	Transylvania		9,634		57.47%		6,826		40.72%	303	1.81%	2,808	16.75%	16,763
	Tyrrell		930		52.16%		837		46.94%	16	0.90%	93	5.22%	1,783
	Union		61,107		64.51%		32,473		34.28%	1,148	1.21%	28,634	30.23%	94,728
	Vance		7,429		35.62%		13,323		63.89%	102	0.49%	−5,894	−28.27%	20,854
	Wake		211,596		43.50%		267,262		54.94%	7,569	1.56%	−55,666	−11.44%	486,427
	Warren		3,140		30.90%		6,978		68.67%	44	0.43%	−3,838	−37.77%	10,162
	Washington		2,622		40.34%		3,833		58.98%	44	0.68%	−1,211	−18.64%	6,499
	Watauga		13,861		50.09%		13,002		46.98%	811	2.93%	859	3.11%	27,674
	Wayne		27,641		53.83%		23,314		45.40%	397	0.77%	4,327	8.43%	51,352
	Wilkes		20,515		70.39%		8,148		27.96%	482	1.65%	12,367	42.43%	29,145
	Wilson		17,954		45.91%		20,875		53.38%	280	0.71%	−2,921	−7.47%	39,109
	Yadkin		12,578		74.81%		3,957		23.54%	278	1.65%	8,621	51.27%	16,813
	Yancey		5,278		55.85%		3,981		42.12%	192	2.03%	1,297	13.73%	9,451
Totals	2,270,395	50.39%	2,178,391	48.35%	56,586	1.26%	92,004	2.04%	4,505,372

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Caswell (largest town: Yanceyville)
Hyde (largest community: Ocracoke)
Jackson (largest town: Cullowhee)
Watauga (largest town: Boone)

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Nash (largest city: Rocky Mount)

By congressional district

Romney won 10 of the state's 13 congressional districts, including one held by a Democrat.

Romney	Obama	Representative
	27.88%	71.60%		G. K. Butterfield
	57.26%	41.71%		Renee Ellmers
	57.99%	41.01%		Walter B. Jones
	27.41%	71.43%		David Price
	59.06%	39.77%		Virginia Foxx
	57.65%	41.34%		Howard Coble
	59.24%	39.86%		Mike McIntyre
58.06%	41.00%		Larry Kissell
58.06%	41.00%	Richard Hudson
56.19%	42.81%		Sue Myrick
56.19%	42.81%	Robert Pittenger
	58.00%	40.89%		Patrick McHenry
60.90%	37.79%		Heath Shuler
60.90%	37.79%	Mark Meadows
	20.79%	78.54%		Mel Watt
55.45%	43.53%		Brad Miller
55.45%	43.53%	George Holding

External links

for North Carolina

The Green Papers

Major state elections in chronological order

Notes and References

Web site: North Carolina Democrat. The Green Papers. November 14, 2012.
Web site: NC - Election Results. results.enr.clarityelections.com. September 18, 2016.
News: Primary and Caucus Printable Calendar. CNN. January 12, 2012.
News: Presidential Primary Dates. Federal Election Commission. January 23, 2012.
Web site: North Carolina Republican. The Green Papers. November 14, 2012.
News: Memoli. Michael A.. RNC officially names Mitt Romney the party's 'presumptive nominee'. November 3, 2016. LA Times. April 25, 2012.
Web site: RealClearPolitics - Election 2012 - North Carolina: Romney vs. Obama. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110504081741/http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/nc/north_carolina_romney_vs_obama-1784.html. 2011-05-04.
Web site: North Carolina State Board of Elections . November 14, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121125212444/http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NC/42923/112059/Web01/en/summary.html . 2012-11-25 . dead .