2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina

none June 2025 2012 United States presidential election May 2012 2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina South Carolina presidential 2008 United States presidential election in South Carolina 2008 November 6, 2012 2016 United States presidential election in South Carolina 2016 x200px Mitt_Romney_by_Gage_Skidmore_6_cropped.jpg Mitt Romney Republican Party (United States) Massachusetts Paul Ryan 9 1,071,645 54.56% 300px County results 300px Congressional district results 300px Precinct results Romney #F2B3BE 40–50% #E27F90 50–60% #CC2F4A 60–70% #D40000 70–80% #AA0000 80–90% #800000 90–100% Obama #B9D7FF 40–50% #86B6F2 50–60% #4389E3 60–70% #1666CB 70–80% #0645B4 80–90% #002B84 90–100% Tie/No Data #D4C4DC #808080 President Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) President Barack Obama, 2012 portrait crop.jpg Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) Illinois Joe Biden 0 865,941 44.09% The 2012 United States presidential election in South Carolina took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. South Carolina voters chose 9 electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, against Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan. Also on the ballot were Libertarian nominee, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson and his running mate, jurist Jim Gray. The left-wing Green Party nominated activist and physician Jill Stein and her running mate, anti-poverty advocate Cheri Honkala. The conservative Constitution Party nominated former U.S. Representative from Virginia Virgil Goode for president, and former Chair of the Constitution Party Jim Clymer for vice president. Romney defeated Obama in the state by 54.56% to 44.09%, a margin of 10.47%.Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=2012&fips=45&f=0&off=0&elect=0// December 7, 2012 While the state is generally considered safe for the Republican Party, it remains somewhat competitive due to a high African-American population, the sixth-highest in the country.Decennial Census by Decades https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html 2020-11-17 The United States Census Bureau EN-US The majority of the Democratic vote comes from the Black Belt, with areas such as Richland and Charleston counties, home to Columbia and Charleston respectively, providing high margins for the Democrats. However, this support is largely offset by suburban and rural white voters.The Road to 270: South Carolina https://www.270towin.com/news/2020/07/06/the-road-to-270-south-carolina_1053.html 2020-11-17 270toWin.com The state hasn't voted for a Democrat since Jimmy Carter carried it in 1976.South Carolina Presidential Election Voting History https://www.270towin.com/states/South_Carolina 2020-11-17 270toWin.com Romney also improved on John McCain's 8.97% margin in 2008. As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last time where the counties of Barnwell, Calhoun, Chester, Colleton, Darlington, and McCormick voted for the Democratic candidate. Primaries Democratic primary 2012 South Carolina Democratic presidential primary Illinois presidential no 2008 South Carolina Democratic presidential primary 2008 2016 South Carolina Democratic presidential primary 2016 January 28, 2012 150x150px Barack Obama Illinois 99% 3333FF 170px #3333FF Barack Obama Incumbent President Barack Obama ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and easily won with more than 99% of the vote. The Democratic primary was held on January 28, 2012, one week after the Republican primary. Republican primary South Carolina Republican presidential primary, 2012 South Carolina presidential no United States presidential election in South Carolina, 2008 2008 United States presidential election in South Carolina, 2016#Republican primary 2016 2012 01 21 Newt Gingrich by Gage Skidmore 3 (cropped).jpg Newt Gingrich Georgia 23 244,065 40.42% Mitt_Romney_by_Gage_Skidmore_6_cropped.jpg Mitt Romney Massachusetts 2 168,123 27.85% Rick Santorum by Gage Skidmore.jpg Rick Santorum Pennsylvania 0 102,475 16.97% Ron Paul by Gage Skidmore 3 (crop 2).jpg Ron Paul Texas 0 78,360 12.98% South Carolina Republican Presidential Primary Detailed Election Results by County, 2012.svg 225px Gingrich #f0dbeb 30–40% #e7c6e0 40–50% #ce89c0 50–60% #b75ca4 60–70% Romney #ffcca9 40–50% #ffb580 50–60% 800080 f25000 008000 ffcc00 x125px2012 South Carolina Republican presidential primary The Republican primary was held on January 21, 2012. During the primary election campaign, the candidates ran on a platform of government reform in Washington. Domestic, foreign and economic policy emerged as the main themes in the election campaign following the onset of the 2008 economic crisis, as well as policies implemented by the Obama administration. This included the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, termed "Obamacare" by its opponents, as well as government spending as a whole. The primary has become one of several key early state nominating contests in the process of choosing the nominee of the Republican Party for the election for President of the United States. It has historically been more important for the Republican Party than for the Democratic Party; from its inception in 1980, until the nomination of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in 2012, the winner of the Republican presidential primary had gone on to win the nomination.https://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0802/p01s02-uspo.html?page=1 GOP bellwether South Carolina shows a tangled race: Pg 1 Christian Science Monitor January 20, 2008 As of 2012, the primary has cemented its place as the "First in the South" primary for both parties.http://cameron.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/01/19/first-in-the-south/ First in the South January 20, 2008 Fox News dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080122154043/http://cameron.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/01/19/first-in-the-south/ January 22, 2008 Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich was declared the winner of the race as soon as polls closed, however, Mitt Romney went on to win the nomination. Date The 2012 South Carolina Republican primary was tentatively scheduled to occur on February 28, 2012,https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/09/south-carolina-gop-officials-hope-to-strike-deal-with-florida-to-calm-2012-primary-waters/ South Carolina GOP Officials Hope To Strike Deal With Florida To 'Calm' 2012 Primary Waters ABC News September 2, 2011 November 4, 2011 Falcone Michael much later than the date in 2008, which almost immediately followed the beginning of the year in January 2008.http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/results/states/SC.html South Carolina Primary Results The New York Times November 4, 2011 On September 29, 2011, the entire schedule of caucuses and primaries was disrupted, however, when it was announced that the Republican Party of Florida had decided to move up its primary to January 31, in an attempt to bring attention to its own primary contest, and attract the presidential candidates to visit the state.http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/florida-moves-its-primary/ Florida Moves its Primary Outside the Beltway November 3, 2011 September 29, 2011 Taylor Steven Because of the move, the Republican National Committee decided to strip Florida of half of its delegates.http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/10/25/gop-chairman-florida-will-be-penalized-and-the-2012-race-is-now-set/ GOP chairman: Florida will be penalized, and 2012 race is now set Des Moines Register November 3, 2011 October 25, 2011 Jacobs Jennifer Also as a result, the South Carolina Republican Party, along with Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada then sought to move their primaries and caucuses back into early January. All but Nevada, who agreed to follow Florida,http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/10/24/1029570/-Nevada-Republicans-cave,-move-caucuses-to-Feb-4 Nevada Republicans cave, move caucuses to Feb. 4 Daily Kos November 3, 2011 October 24, 2011 Nir David confirmed their caucus and primary dates to take place throughout January, with South Carolina deciding to hold their contest on January 21, 2012. It is an open primary, meaning all registered voters can participate in the primary.http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P12/SC-R South Carolina Republican The Green Papers Richard E. Berg-Andersson January 14, 2012 Ballot access Nine candidates appeared on the presidential primary ballot.Whitmire C 2012 Republican Presidential Primary Candidates http://www.scvotes.org/2011/11/18/2012_republican_presidential_primary_candidates South Carolina State Election Commission January 11, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120822204530/http://www.scvotes.org/2011/11/18/2012_republican_presidential_primary_candidates August 22, 2012 dead mdy-all South Carolina had only 25 delegates up for grabs because it moved its primary to January 21. Eleven delegates were awarded for the statewide winner, Newt Gingrich, and two additional delegates were awarded to the winner of each of the seven congressional districts. Six districts were won by Gingrich, and one by Romney, giving Gingrich twelve additional delegates and Romney two delegates.Kleefeld Eric South Carolina GOP Chairman: 'Anyone Can Win' In Our Primary http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/01/south-carolina-gop-chairman-anyone-can-win-in-our-primary.php January 11, 2012 Talking Points Memo January 4, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120111175230/http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/01/south-carolina-gop-chairman-anyone-can-win-in-our-primary.php January 11, 2012 dead mdy-all Polling Statewide opinion polling for the January 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries#South Carolina (January 21) Results Results of the 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries There were 2,804,231 registered voters, for a turnout of 21.60%.February 3, 2012 South Carolina Primary http://www.enr-scvotes.org/SC/36831/64434/en/summary.html February 22, 2012 South Carolina State Election Commission South Carolina Republican primary, 2012CandidateVotesPercentageEstimated national delegatesNewt Gingrich 244,065 40.42% 23 Mitt Romney 168,123 27.85% 2 Rick Santorum 102,475 16.97% 0 Ron Paul 78,360 12.98% 0 Herman Cain 6,338 1.05% 0 Rick Perry 2,534 0.42% 0 Jon Huntsman 1,173 0.19% 0 Michele Bachmann 491 0.08% 0 Gary Johnson 211 0.03% 0 Totals 603,770 100.00% 25 Key: Withdrewprior to contest General election Predictions SourceRankingAs ofHuffington PostHuffington Post Election Dashboard HuffPost http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/2012/romney-vs-obama-electoral-map https://archive.today/20130813173708/http://web.archive.org/web/20120502191502/http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/2012/romney-vs-obama-electoral-map 2013-08-13Safe RNovember 6, 2012CNNAmerica's Choice 2012 Election Center: CNN Electoral Map CNN http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2012/ecalculator#?battleground dead https://archive.today/20130119130158/http://edition.cnn.com/ELECTION/2012/ecalculator%23?battleground 2013-01-19Safe RNovember 6, 2012 New York TimesElection 2012 - The Electoral Map: Building a Path to Victory The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2012/electoral-map.html https://archive.today/20120708093751/http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/electoral-map July 8, 2012 Safe R November 6, 2012Washington Post2012 Presidential Election Results The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/election-map-2012/president/ limited live https://web.archive.org/web/20120726195644/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/election-map-2012/president/ 2012-07-26Safe RNovember 6, 2012RealClearPolitics http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/2012_elections_electoral_college_map.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110608112207/http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/2012_elections_electoral_college_map.html 2011-06-08 RealClearPolitics - 2012 Election Maps - Battle for White HouseSolid RNovember 6, 2012Sabato's Crystal Ball https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/projection-obama-will-likely-win-second-term/ PROJECTION: OBAMA WILL LIKELY WIN SECOND TERMSolid RNovember 5, 2012FiveThirtyEight https://www.masslive.com/news/2012/11/nate_silvers_political_calcula.html Nate Silver's political calculations predict 2012 election outcomeSolid RNovember 6, 2012 Results United States presidential election in South Carolina, 2012PartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Republican Mitt Romney Paul Ryan 1,071,645 54.56% 9 Democratic Barack Obama (incumbent) Joe Biden (incumbent) 865,941 44.09% 0 Libertarian Gary Johnson Jim Gray 16,321 0.83% 0 Green Jill Stein Cheri Honkala 5,446 0.28% 0 Constitution Virgil Goode Jim Clymer 4,765 0.22% 0 Totals 1,964,118 100.00% 9 By county CountyMitt RomneyRepublicanBarack ObamaDemocraticVarious candidatesOther partiesMarginTotal#%#%#%#%Abbeville5,98156.05%4,54342.57%1471.38%1,43813.48%10,671Aiken44,04262.59%25,32235.99%9991.42%18,72026.60%70,363Allendale83820.13%3,29779.20%280.67%-2,459-59.07%4,163Anderson48,70967.45%22,40531.03%1,0981.52%26,30436.42%72,212Bamberg2,19431.88%4,62467.19%640.93%-2,430-35.31%6,882Barnwell4,65946.95%5,18852.28%760.77%-529-5.33%9,923Beaufort42,68758.24%29,84840.72%7621.04%12,83917.52%73,297Berkeley38,47556.42%28,54241.85%1,1781.73%9,93314.57%68,195Calhoun3,70747.32%4,04551.63%821.05%-338-4.31%7,834Charleston77,62948.01%81,48750.39%2,5911.60%-3,858-2.38%161,707Cherokee13,31464.09%7,23134.81%2281.10%6,08329.28%20,773Chester6,36744.19%7,89154.77%1491.04%-1,524-10.58%14,407Chesterfield8,49051.16%7,95847.96%1460.88%5323.20%16,594Clarendon7,07143.40%9,09155.80%1300.80%-2,020-12.40%16,292Colleton8,44349.41%8,47549.60%1680.99%-32-0.19%17,086Darlington14,43447.87%15,45751.27%2590.86%-1,023-3.40%30,150Dillon5,42741.63%7,52357.71%850.66%-2,096-16.08%13,035Dorchester32,53157.22%23,44541.24%8791.54%9,08615.98%56,855Edgefield6,51256.21%4,96742.87%1070.92%1,54513.34%11,586Fairfield3,99933.62%7,77765.38%1191.00%-3,778-31.76%11,895Florence28,96149.83%28,61449.23%5470.94%3470.60%58,122Georgetown16,52653.37%14,16345.74%2760.89%2,3637.63%30,965Greenville121,68562.99%68,07035.23%3,4341.78%53,61527.76%193,189Greenwood16,34857.02%11,97241.76%3521.22%4,37615.26%28,672Hampton3,31235.98%5,83463.37%600.65%-2,522-27.39%9,206Horry72,12764.17%38,88534.60%1,3811.23%33,24229.57%112,393Jasper4,16941.60%5,75757.45%950.95%-1,588-15.85%10,021Kershaw16,32458.41%11,25940.29%3631.30%5,06518.12%27,946Lancaster19,33358.33%13,41940.49%3921.18%5,91417.84%33,144Laurens14,74658.02%10,31840.60%3521.38%4,42817.42%25,416Lee2,83231.80%5,97767.10%981.10%-3,145-35.30%8,907Lexington76,66268.07%34,14830.32%1,8131.61%42,51437.75%112,623Marion5,16434.46%9,68864.65%1340.89%-4,524-30.19%14,986Marlboro3,67637.31%6,10061.91%770.78%-2,424-24.60%9,853McCormick2,46747.81%2,65351.41%400.78%-186-3.60%5,160Newberry9,26056.63%6,91342.28%1781.09%2,34714.35%16,351Oconee21,61170.47%8,55027.88%5051.65%13,06142.59%30,666Orangeburg12,02227.93%30,72071.37%2990.70%-18,698-43.44%43,041Pickens33,47473.49%11,15624.49%9192.02%22,13849.00%45,549Richland53,10533.37%103,98965.34%2,0601.29%-50,884-31.97%159,154Saluda5,13559.96%3,32838.86%1011.18%1,80721.10%8,564Spartanburg66,96960.93%41,46137.72%1,4761.35%25,50823.21%109,906Sumter19,27440.74%27,58958.32%4460.94%-8,315-17.58%47,309Union6,58452.50%5,79646.22%1611.28%7886.28%12,541Williamsburg4,82429.59%11,33569.52%1450.89%-6,511-39.93%16,304York59,54659.42%39,13139.05%1,5331.53%20,41520.37%100,210Totals1,071,64554.56%865,94144.09%26,5321.35%205,70410.47%1,964,118 Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Darlington (largest city: Hartsville) right 230px Swing by county 230px Trend relative to the state by county Legend #4bdbff Democratic — +7.5-10% #77e3ff Democratic — +5-7.5% #aaeeff Democratic — +2.5-5% #d5f6ff Democratic — +0-2.5% #ffd5d5 Republican — +0-2.5% #ffaaaa Republican — +2.5-5% #ff8080 Republican — +5-7.5% 230px County flips Legend Democratic #92c5de Hold #0671b0 Flip Republican #f48882 Hold By congressional district Romney won six of seven congressional districts.https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2013/07/09/1220127/-Daily-Kos-Elections-2012-election-results-by-congressional-and-legislative-districts Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts Daily Kos 11 August 2020 District Romney Obama RepresentativeSouth Carolina 1 1st 58.25% 40.2%Tim ScottSouth Carolina 2 2nd 59.14% 39.43%Joe WilsonSouth Carolina 3 3rd 64.55% 33.95%Jeff DuncanSouth Carolina 4 4th 62.17% 36.2%Trey GowdySouth Carolina 5 5th 55.1% 43.62%Mick MulvaneySouth Carolina 6 6th 28.1% 70.9% Jim ClyburnSouth Carolina 7 7th 54.55% 44.43%Tom Rice See also Politics United States South Carolina primary Republican Party presidential debates, 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries, 2012 Results of the 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries South Carolina Republican Party References 30em External links http://www.scvotes.org South Carolina State Election Commission http://www.scsos.com South Carolina's Secretary of State http://www.scgop.com South Carolina Republican Party The Green Papers: for South Carolina The Green Papers: Major state elections in chronological order United States President South Carolina Category:The Colbert Report 2012