2012 United States presidential election in Virginia

none June 2025 September 2023 2012 United States presidential election 2012 United States presidential election in Virginia Virginia presidential no 2008 United States presidential election in Virginia 2008 November 6, 2012 2016 United States presidential election in Virginia 2016 71.06%Registration/Turnout Reports - Summary of Virginia Registration & Turnout Statistics https://www.elections.virginia.gov/resultsreports/registrationturnout-statistics/ Virginia Department of Elections x200px President Barack Obama, 2012 portrait crop.jpg Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) Illinois Joe Biden 13 1,971,820 51.16% 436px County and independent city results 436px Congressional district results 436px Precinct results Obama #b9d7ff 40–50% #86b6f2 50–60% #4389e3 60–70% #1666cb 70–80% #0645b4 80–90% #002b84 90–100% Romney #f2b3be 40–50% #e27f90 50–60% #cc2f4a 60–70% #d40000 70–80% #aa0000 80–90% #800000 90–100% President Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) Mitt_Romney_by_Gage_Skidmore_6_cropped.jpg Mitt Romney Republican Party (United States) Massachusetts Paul Ryan 0 1,822,522 47.28% The 2012 United States presidential election in Virginia took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Virginia voters chose 13 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. Virginia was won by Obama with 51.16% of the vote to Romney's 47.28%, a 3.88% margin of victory.https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/DATA/2012/68C30477-AAF2-46DD-994E-5D3BE8A89C9B/Official/1_s.shtml VA Board of Elections August 3, 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130510182114/https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/DATA/2012/68C30477-AAF2-46DD-994E-5D3BE8A89C9B/Official/1_s.shtml May 10, 2013 dead mdy-all Third parties and write-ins received a cumulative 60,147 votes, representing 1.56% of the vote. In 2008, Obama won the state by 6.30%, becoming the first Democratic presidential nominee to win it since Lyndon B. Johnson's nationwide Democratic landslide of 1964, but it had otherwise been a reliably Republican state prior to this. However, 2008 represented a realignment election for Virginia. Much of the Democratic gains were attributed to the growth of progressive suburban Northern Virginia, particularly in Fairfax County, Loudoun County, and Prince William County, all of which voted for Obama twice despite becoming Republican strongholds after 1964. The Northern Virginia suburbs are generally dominated by Washington, D.C., the most Democratic region in the country. Obama's increased strength in this heavily populated region more than canceled out his weakness across rural Virginia, which, similar to the rest of Appalachia, swung towards the Republican Party in 2008 due to the Democrats' increasingly environmentalist policies. Obama suffered a historically poor showing even in traditionally Democratic counties of Southwest Virginia, similar to his weak performance in neighboring West Virginia. Having also won the state in 2008, Obama's 2012 victory made him the first Democrat since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944 to carry Virginia in two consecutive elections. It also marked the first time since 1948 that the state voted Democratic in consecutive elections. The Democratic margin of victory also made 2012 the first time since 1948 that Virginia voted more Democratic than the nation as a whole, albeit by a narrow advantage of 0.02%, thereby making the state the closest to the national results. These were ultimately signs of Virginia's continuing leftward shift, after it had been a mostly reliable state for Republicans on the presidential level since 1952. Also, this election was the first since 1948 that Virginia voted for a different candidate than Indiana did. As of the 2024 presidential election, this was the last time the Republican nominee won Montgomery County, and the last time the Democratic nominee won the independent city of Covington along with Buckingham, Caroline, Essex, Nelson and Westmoreland counties. This was the last election that Virginia was considered to be a swing state. Every subsequent Democratic presidential nominee has won the state by more than a 5% margin, as Virginia has transformed into a blue state. In 2016, the Republican nominee won the election without carrying Virginia for the first time since 1924. By 2024, Virginia voted for a Democrat who lost the popular vote, also for the first time since 1924. Primary elections Democratic primary Because incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama faced no serious opposition from within his party in seeking reelection, no Democratic primary was held. Republican primary Virginia Republican primary, 2012 Virginia presidential no United States presidential election in Virginia, 2008 2008 2012 03 06 United States presidential election in Virginia, 2016#Republican primary 2016 x125px File:Mitt Romney by Gage Skidmore 6 cropped (cropped).jpg Mitt Romney Massachusetts 43 158,119 59.54% Virginia Republican Presidential Primary Election Results by County, 2012.svg 300px Virginia results by county and independent city #ff6600 Mitt Romney #ffcc00 Ron Paul Ron Paul by Gage Skidmore 3 (crop 2).jpg Ron Paul Texas 3 107,451 40.46% ff6600 ffcc00 The Republican primary took place on Super Tuesday, March 6, 2012.Primary and Caucus Printable Calendar CNN http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/calendar.html January 12, 2012Presidential Primary Dates Federal Election Commission http://www.FEC.gov/pubrec/fe2012/2012pdates.pdf January 23, 2012 Virginia had 49 delegates to the 2012 Republican National Convention including the unbound superdelegates. 33 delegates were awarded on a winner-take-all basis by congressional district. The other 13 were awarded to the candidate who won a majority statewide, or allocated proportionally if no one got a majority.Nate Silver March 4, 2012 Romney Could Win Majority of Super Tuesday Delegates http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/04/romney-could-win-majority-of-super-tuesday-delegates/ March 5, 2012 FiveThirtyEight Virginia Republican primary, March 6, 2012Archived copy https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/DATA/2012/A64F1220-CC02-4DED-AB71-09E34ED36339/unofficial/1_s.shtml dead https://web.archive.org/web/20121205053618/https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/election/DATA/2012/A64F1220-CC02-4DED-AB71-09E34ED36339/unofficial/1_s.shtml 2012-12-05 2012-03-22March 6, 2012 Virginia Republican http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P12/VA-R March 6, 2012 Candidate Votes Percentage DelegatesMarch 6, 2012 Super Tuesday Delegate Count http://www.democraticconventionwatch.com/diary/5190/super-tuesday-delegate-count dead https://archive.today/20121208190834/http://www.democraticconventionwatch.com/diary/5190/super-tuesday-delegate-count December 8, 2012 March 6, 2012 DemocraticConventionWatch.com mdy-all Mitt Romney 158,119 59.54% 43 Ron Paul 107,451 40.46% 3 Uncommitted delegates: 3 Total: 265,570 100.00% 49 Ballot access Only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul appeared on the ballot. Other candidates failed to submit the necessary 10,000 signatures (including at least 400 from each of the state's 11 congressional districts) required to get on the ballot by the deadline of 22 December 2011.Anita Kumar, "Gingrich, Perry disqualified from Va. primary ballot" (December 24, 2011). On 27 December, Rick Perry filed a lawsuit – joined later by Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum – in the federal District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Richmond that challenged provisions that determine who can appear on the primary ballot. Perry and the other candidates argued that the chairman of the Virginia Republican Party and members of State Board of Elections violated their rights by enforcing state requirements as to the number of signatures, the qualifications for signers and the requirement that all petition circulators be "an eligible or registered qualified voter in Virginia." Perry and the other litigants argued that these restrictions "impose a severe burden" on their freedoms of speech and association under the First and Fourteenth Amendment.Martin Weil and Anita Kumar. "" (December 27, 2011). Washington Post.Catalina Camia, "Perry sues to get on Virginia ballot" (December 28, 2011). USA Today.Kevin Liptak, "Candidates join Perry's Virginia lawsuit" (December 31, 2011). CNN. The case was Perry v. Judd. U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. ruled on 29 December that he would not issue an injunction to stop the printing of ballots before a scheduled hearing on 13 January.Rebecca Kaplan, "Perry Hearing on Virginia Ballot Challenge Set for Jan. 13 https://web.archive.org/web/20120304014307/http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-presidential-campaign/perry-hearing-on-virginia-ballot-challenge-set-for-jan-13-20111229 2012-03-04" (December 29, 2011). National Journal. The Virginia Attorney General, Ken Cuccinelli, representing the state, made a motion to dismiss the case because of a lack of standing.Tom Schoenberg, "Virginia Argues Perry Can't Challenge Ballot" (January 4, 2012). Bloomberg. On 13 January, Judge Gibney Jr. dismissed the lawsuit citing the equitable doctrine of laches ("sleeping on one's rights"), writing, "They knew the rules in Virginia many months ago... In essence, they played the game, lost, and then complained that the rules were unfair."Catalina Camia, "Judge rejects Perry, GOP hopefuls for Va. ballot" (January 13, 2012). USA Today. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed, emphasizing that the candidate plaintiffs' failure to file in a timely fashion required dismissal.Perry v. Judd Unpublished E.D. Va. 2012 http://www.ca4.uscourts.gov/Opinions/Unpublished/121067R1.U.pdf 16 November 2013 The final results saw Romney win with 59.54% and 43 delegates of the vote to Ron Paul's 40.46% and 3 delegates. General election Ballot access Barack Hussein Obama / Joseph Robinette Biden. Jr., Democratic Willard Mitt Romney / Paul Davis Ryan, Republican Gary Earl Johnson and James Polin Gray, Libertarian Virgil Hamlin Goode Jr. and James N. Clymer, Constitution Jill Ellen Stein and Cheri Lynn Honkala, Green Polling Statewide opinion polling for the 2012 United States presidential election#Virginia The initial polling in 2010 showed Obama leading with margins from 4 to 11 points. In September 2011, the tide changed, and Romney won every poll conducted from September 2011 to December 2011, except one. In January and February 2012, both candidates were neck and neck with neither having a decisive lead. In March, Obama was able to pull ahead and beat Romney in most polls until about late September 2012. On October 4, Romney won his first poll in a month, 48% to 45%. Throughout October, Romney won every poll but one for nearly three weeks. The latest polls in late October and early November shifted in Obama's favor, and Obama was able to successfully make the race near tied. Although Romney had won the final poll by 2 points, 50% to 48%, the average of the last three polls showed Obama leading 49% to 48%.https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/president/va/virginia_romney_vs_obama-1774.html#polls 2012 - Virginia: Romney vs. Obama | RealClearPoliticshttps://uselectionatlas.org/POLLS/PRESIDENT/2012/polls.php?fips=51 Election 2012 Polls - Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections 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 2013-08-13Lean DNovember 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 2013-01-19TossupNovember 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 Tossup 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/ 2012-07-26TossupNovember 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 HouseTossupNovember 6, 2012Sabato's Crystal Ball https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/projection-obama-will-likely-win-second-term/ PROJECTION: OBAMA WILL LIKELY WIN SECOND TERMLean R flipNovember 5, 2012FiveThirtyEight https://www.masslive.com/news/2012/11/nate_silvers_political_calcula.html Nate Silver's political calculations predict 2012 election outcomeLikely DNovember 6, 2012 Results United States presidential election in Virginia, 2012http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/2012election.pdf Statistics of the presidential and congressional election of November 6, 2012 Karen L. Haas February 28, 2013PartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Democratic Barack Obama (incumbent) Joe Biden (incumbent) 1,971,820 51.16% 13 Republican Mitt Romney Paul Ryan 1,822,522 47.28% 0 Libertarian Gary Johnson Jim Gray 31,216 0.81% 0 Constitution Virgil Goode Jim Clymer 13,058 0.34% 0 Green Jill Stein Cheri Honkala 8,627 0.22% 0 Write-ins Write-ins 7,246 0.19% 0 Totals 3,854,489 100.00% 13 By city and county County/cityBarack ObamaDemocraticMitt RomneyRepublicanOther candidatesVarious partiesMarginTotal#%#%#%#% Accomack 7,655 47.69% 8,213 51.17% 183 1.14% -558 -3.48% 16,051 Albemarle 29,757 55.20% 23,297 43.22% 853 1.58% 6,460 11.98% 53,907 Alexandria 52,199 71.11% 20,249 27.58% 963 1.31% 31,950 43.53% 73,411 Alleghany 3,403 47.44% 3,595 50.12% 175 2.44% -192 -2.68% 7,173 Amelia 2,490 36.01% 4,331 62.63% 94 1.36% -1,841 -26.62% 6,915 Amherst 5,900 39.41% 8,876 59.29% 194 1.30% -2,976 -19.88% 14,970 Appomattox 2,453 30.91% 5,340 67.30% 142 1.79% -2,887 -36.39% 7,935 Arlington 81,269 69.10% 34,474 29.31% 1,865 1.59% 46,795 39.79% 117,608 Augusta 9,451 28.07% 23,624 70.16% 597 1.77% -14,173 -42.09% 33,672 Bath 894 40.22% 1,274 57.31% 55 2.47% -380 -17.09% 2,223 Bedford 10,209 27.28% 26,679 71.29% 537 1.43% -16,470 -44.01% 37,425 Bland 735 24.93% 2,144 72.73% 69 2.34% -1,409 -47.80% 2,948 Botetourt 5,452 29.89% 12,479 68.41% 310 1.70% -7,027 -38.52% 18,241 Bristol 2,492 33.73% 4,780 64.71% 115 1.56% -2,288 -30.98% 7,387 Brunswick 4,994 62.14% 2,968 36.93% 75 0.93% 2,026 25.21% 8,037 Buchanan 3,094 32.08% 6,436 66.72% 116 1.20% -3,342 -34.64% 9,646 Buckingham 3,750 50.29% 3,569 47.86% 138 1.85% 181 2.43% 7,457 Buena Vista 919 36.38% 1,564 61.92% 43 1.70% -645 -25.54% 2,526 Campbell 7,595 29.56% 17,695 68.86% 406 1.58% -10,100 -39.30% 25,696 Caroline 7,276 53.30% 6,151 45.06% 225 1.64% 1,125 8.24% 13,652 Carroll 3,685 28.53% 8,736 67.63% 497 3.84% -5,051 -39.10% 12,918 Charles City 2,772 65.50% 1,396 32.99% 64 1.51% 1,376 32.51% 4,232 Charlotte 2,503 42.44% 3,311 56.14% 84 1.42% -808 -13.70% 5,898 Charlottesville 16,510 75.74% 4,844 22.22% 443 2.04% 11,666 53.52% 21,797 Chesapeake 55,052 49.85% 53,900 48.81% 1,473 1.34% 1,152 1.04% 110,425 Chesterfield 77,694 45.44% 90,934 53.18% 2,360 1.38% -13,240 -7.74% 170,988 Clarke 3,239 41.73% 4,296 55.35% 227 2.92% -1,057 -13.62% 7,762 Colonial Heights 2,544 29.50% 5,941 68.89% 139 1.61% -3,397 -39.39% 8,624 Covington 1,319 56.61% 975 41.85% 36 1.55% 344 14.76% 2,330 Craig 830 31.12% 1,757 65.88% 80 3.00% -927 -34.76% 2,667 Culpeper 8,285 40.99% 11,580 57.30% 346 1.71% -3,295 -16.31% 20,211 Cumberland 2,422 47.98% 2,538 50.28% 88 1.74% -116 -2.30% 5,048 Danville 12,218 60.47% 7,763 38.42% 223 1.11% 4,455 22.05% 20,204 Dickenson 2,473 35.82% 4,274 61.91% 157 2.27% -1,801 -26.09% 6,904 Dinwiddie 6,550 48.20% 6,875 50.59% 164 1.21% -325 -2.39% 13,589 Emporia 1,793 66.51% 886 32.86% 17 0.63% 907 33.65% 2,696 Essex 3,016 53.15% 2,602 45.85% 57 1.00% 414 7.30% 5,675 Fairfax 315,273 59.57% 206,773 39.07% 7,241 1.36% 108,500 20.50% 529,287 Fairfax City 6,651 57.19% 4,775 41.06% 203 1.75% 1,876 16.13% 11,629 Falls Church 5,015 68.93% 2,147 29.51% 114 1.56% 2,868 39.42% 7,276 Fauquier 13,965 39.28% 21,034 59.16% 556 1.56% -7,069 -19.88% 35,555 Floyd 2,732 35.74% 4,673 61.13% 239 3.13% -1,941 -25.39% 7,644 Fluvanna 5,893 46.22% 6,678 52.38% 178 1.40% -785 -6.16% 12,749 Franklin 9,090 34.04% 16,718 62.60% 899 3.36% -7,628 -28.56% 26,707 Franklin City 2,833 64.98% 1,496 34.31% 31 0.71% 1,337 30.67% 4,360 Frederick 12,690 34.87% 22,858 62.81% 846 2.32% -10,168 -27.94% 36,394 Fredericksburg 7,131 62.35% 4,060 35.50% 246 2.15% 3,071 26.85% 11,437 Galax 900 39.53% 1,332 58.50% 45 1.97% -432 -18.97% 2,277 Giles 2,730 36.12% 4,660 61.66% 168 2.22% -1,930 -25.54% 7,558 Gloucester 6,764 35.08% 12,137 62.94% 382 1.98% -5,373 -27.86% 19,283 Goochland 4,676 35.12% 8,448 63.45% 191 1.43% -3,772 -28.33% 13,315 Grayson 2,068 29.04% 4,801 67.42% 252 3.54% -2,733 -38.38% 7,121 Greene 3,290 36.46% 5,569 61.72% 164 1.82% -2,279 -25.26% 9,023 Greensville 3,135 63.64% 1,766 35.85% 25 0.51% 1,369 27.79% 4,926 Halifax 7,766 46.53% 8,694 52.08% 232 1.39% -928 -5.55% 16,692 Hampton 46,966 70.64% 18,640 28.03% 884 1.33% 28,326 42.61% 66,490 Hanover 18,294 30.98% 39,940 67.63% 824 1.39% -21,646 -36.65% 59,058 Harrisonburg 8,654 55.50% 6,565 42.10% 374 2.40% 2,089 13.40% 15,593 Henrico 89,594 55.22% 70,449 43.42% 2,198 1.36% 19,145 11.80% 162,241 Henry 10,317 41.33% 13,984 56.02% 662 2.65% -3,667 -14.69% 24,963 Highland 459 32.48% 924 65.39% 30 2.13% -465 -32.91% 1,413 Hopewell 5,179 57.35% 3,739 41.40% 113 1.25% 1,440 15.95% 9,031 Isle of Wight 8,761 42.07% 11,802 56.67% 264 1.26% -3,041 -14.60% 20,827 James City 17,879 43.35% 22,843 55.39% 518 1.26% -4,964 -12.04% 41,240 King and Queen 1,745 47.74% 1,865 51.03% 45 1.23% -120 -3.29% 3,655 King George 4,477 39.53% 6,604 58.31% 244 2.16% -2,127 -18.78% 11,325 King William 3,344 37.48% 5,466 61.26% 113 1.26% -2,122 -23.78% 8,923 Lancaster 3,149 45.24% 3,753 53.91% 59 0.85% -604 -8.67% 6,961 Lee 2,583 26.91% 6,847 71.34% 168 1.75% -4,264 -44.43% 9,598 Lexington 1,486 55.30% 1,146 42.65% 55 2.05% 340 12.65% 2,687 Loudoun 82,479 51.53% 75,292 47.04% 2,289 1.43% 7,187 4.49% 160,060 Louisa 6,953 42.26% 9,215 56.01% 284 1.73% -2,262 -13.75% 16,452 Lunenburg 2,684 46.81% 2,969 51.78% 81 1.41% -285 -4.97% 5,734 Lynchburg 15,948 43.76% 19,806 54.34% 694 1.90% -3,858 -10.58% 36,448 Madison 2,639 39.90% 3,869 58.50% 106 1.60% -1,230 -18.60% 6,614 Manassas 8,478 55.78% 6,463 42.52% 259 1.70% 2,015 13.26% 15,200 Manassas Park 2,879 61.83% 1,699 36.49% 78 1.68% 1,180 25.34% 4,656 Martinsville 3,855 61.35% 2,312 36.79% 117 1.86% 1,543 24.56% 6,284 Mathews 1,807 33.62% 3,488 64.91% 79 1.47% -1,681 -31.29% 5,374 Mecklenburg 6,921 45.90% 7,973 52.88% 183 1.22% -1,052 -6.98% 15,077 Middlesex 2,370 38.98% 3,619 59.52% 91 1.50% -1,249 -20.54% 6,080 Montgomery 19,903 48.53% 20,006 48.78% 1,100 2.69% -103 -0.25% 41,009 Nelson 4,171 50.56% 3,947 47.84% 132 1.60% 224 2.72% 8,250 New Kent 3,555 32.46% 7,246 66.16% 152 1.38% -3,691 -33.70% 10,953 Newport News 51,100 64.32% 27,230 34.28% 1,114 1.40% 23,870 30.04% 79,444 Norfolk 62,687 72.02% 23,147 26.59% 1,209 1.39% 39,540 45.43% 87,043 Northampton 3,741 57.63% 2,676 41.23% 74 1.14% 1,065 16.40% 6,491 Northumberland 3,191 42.22% 4,310 57.03% 57 0.75% -1,119 -14.81% 7,558 Norton 566 37.94% 895 59.99% 31 2.07% -329 -22.05% 1,492 Nottoway 3,344 48.85% 3,409 49.80% 93 1.35% -65 -0.95% 6,846 Orange 6,870 42.01% 9,244 56.52% 240 1.47% -2,374 -14.51% 16,354 Page 3,724 36.41% 6,344 62.03% 160 1.56% -2,620 -25.62% 10,228 Patrick 2,417 29.27% 5,622 68.07% 220 2.66% -3,205 -38.80% 8,259 Petersburg 14,283 89.79% 1,527 9.60% 98 0.61% 12,756 80.19% 15,908 Pittsylvania 10,858 35.39% 19,263 62.78% 560 1.83% -8,405 -27.39% 30,681 Poquoson 1,679 23.63% 5,312 74.75% 115 1.62% -3,633 -51.12% 7,106 Portsmouth 32,501 70.77% 12,858 28.00% 563 1.23% 19,643 42.77% 45,922 Powhatan 4,088 26.33% 11,200 72.14% 237 1.53% -7,112 -45.81% 15,525 Prince Edward 5,132 55.55% 3,952 42.78% 155 1.67% 1,180 12.77% 9,239 Prince George 6,991 43.57% 8,879 55.33% 176 1.10% -1,888 -11.76% 16,046 Prince William 103,331 57.34% 74,458 41.32% 2,406 1.34% 28,873 16.02% 180,195 Pulaski 5,292 36.05% 8,920 60.76% 468 3.19% -3,628 -24.71% 14,680 Radford 2,732 50.60% 2,520 46.68% 147 2.72% 212 3.92% 5,399 Rappahannock 1,980 45.44% 2,311 53.04% 66 1.52% -331 -7.60% 4,357 Richmond 1,574 41.75% 2,160 57.29% 36 0.96% -586 -15.54% 3,770 Richmond City 75,921 77.81% 20,050 20.55% 1,598 1.64% 55,871 57.26% 97,569 Roanoke 18,711 36.53% 31,624 61.75% 882 1.72% -12,913 -25.22% 51,217 Roanoke City 24,134 60.10% 14,991 37.33% 1,030 2.57% 9,143 22.77% 40,155 Rockbridge 4,088 40.17% 5,898 57.95% 191 1.88% -1,810 -17.78% 10,177 Rockingham 10,065 28.87% 24,186 69.37% 615 1.76% -14,121 -40.50% 34,866 Russell 3,718 30.76% 8,180 67.67% 190 1.57% -4,462 -36.91% 12,088 Salem 4,760 38.64% 7,299 59.25% 259 2.11% -2,539 -20.61% 12,318 Scott 2,395 23.97% 7,439 74.45% 158 1.58% -5,044 -50.48% 9,992 Shenandoah 6,469 33.39% 12,538 64.72% 366 1.89% -6,069 -31.33% 19,373 Smyth 4,171 32.64% 8,379 65.58% 227 1.78% -4,208 -32.94% 12,777 Southampton 4,437 47.90% 4,733 51.09% 94 1.01% -296 -3.19% 9,264 Spotsylvania 25,165 43.41% 31,844 54.93% 965 1.66% -6,679 -11.52% 57,974 Stafford 27,182 44.87% 32,480 53.61% 921 1.52% -5,298 -8.74% 60,583 Staunton 5,728 51.10% 5,272 47.03% 210 1.87% 456 4.07% 11,210 Suffolk 24,267 57.01% 17,820 41.86% 479 1.13% 6,447 15.15% 42,566 Surry 2,576 59.80% 1,671 38.79% 61 1.41% 905 21.01% 4,308 Sussex 3,358 61.73% 2,021 37.15% 61 1.12% 1,337 24.58% 5,440 Tazewell 3,661 20.65% 13,843 78.07% 228 1.28% -10,182 -57.42% 17,732 Virginia Beach 94,299 47.95% 99,291 50.49% 3,051 1.56% -4,992 -2.54% 196,641 Warren 6,452 38.64% 9,869 59.10% 377 2.26% -3,417 -20.46% 16,698 Washington 7,076 27.61% 18,141 70.77% 415 1.62% -11,065 -43.16% 25,632 Waynesboro 3,840 43.68% 4,790 54.49% 161 1.83% -950 -10.81% 8,791 Westmoreland 4,295 52.89% 3,731 45.95% 94 1.16% 564 6.94% 8,120 Williamsburg 4,903 63.28% 2,682 34.62% 163 2.10% 2,221 28.66% 7,748 Winchester 5,094 49.48% 4,946 48.04% 256 2.48% 148 1.44% 10,296 Wise 3,760 25.04% 11,076 73.75% 182 1.21% -7,316 -48.71% 15,018 Wythe 3,783 30.61% 8,324 67.36% 251 2.03% -4,541 -36.75% 12,358 York 13,183 38.83% 20,204 59.51% 566 1.66% -7,021 -20.68% 33,953Totals1,971,82051.16%1,822,52247.28%60,1471.56%149,2983.88%3,854,489 Counties and independent cities that flipped from Democratic to Republican King and Queen (largest community: King and Queen Court House) Montgomery (largest town: Blacksburg) right 300px Swing by county and independent city 300px Trend relative to the state by county and independent city 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% #ff5555 Republican — +7.5-10% #ff2a2a Republican — +10-12.5% #ff0000 Republican — +12.5-15% #d40000 Republican — +>15% 300px County and independent city flips Legend Democratic #92c5de Hold Republican #f48882 Hold #ca0120 Flip By congressional district Despite losing the state, Romney won seven of 11 congressional districts, while Obama won four, including one held by a Republican.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 RepresentativeVirginia 1 1st 53% 46%Rob WittmanVirginia 2 2nd 49%50%Scott RigellVirginia 3 3rd 20% 79%Bobby ScottVirginia 4 4th 50% 49%Randy ForbesVirginia 5 5th 53% 46%Robert Hurt Virginia 6 6th 59% 39%Bob GoodlatteVirginia 7 7th 57% 42%Eric CantorVirginia 8 8th 31% 68%Jim MoranVirginia 9 9th 63% 35%Morgan GriffithVirginia 10 10th50% 49%Frank WolfVirginia 11 11th 36% 62%Gerry Connolly Analysis This was the first election since 1976 in which Virginia did not vote in the same way as neighboring North Carolina, and the first election ever in which Virginia voted Democratic while North Carolina voted Republican, which has occurred again in every subsequent election. Virginia was the only state that backed Obama twice that didn't back Bill Clinton in either of his runs for president in 1992 and 1996. Despite Indiana and neighboring North Carolina flipping back into the Republican column, Virginia remained in the Democratic column, voting for President Obama with a margin of 3.88%, albeit a reduced margin from 2008 when he carried it by 6.30%.November 4, 2008 Virginia - Election Results 2008 https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2008/results/states/virginia.html December 4, 2020 The New York Times 2008 was the first time a Democrat carried the state of Virginia since Lyndon B. Johnson carried it in his landslide 1964 election.Virginia Presidential Election Voting History https://www.270towin.com/states/Virginia December 4, 2020 270toWin Republican support, which had been anchored by the historically Republican D.C. suburbs, dwindled as the population grew. According to 270toWin, Obama carried Northern Virginia by 59.8% to Romney's 38.8%, a 21% margin, a great improvement from Al Gore's 3.2% win against George W. Bush in 2000 and John Kerry's 7.9% win against Bush in 2004.Savicki Drew July 20, 2020 The Road to 270: Virginia https://www.270towin.com/news/2020/07/20/the-road-to-270-virginia_1066.html December 4, 2020 270toWin The leftward shift of college-educated whites and dominance by the unabashedly liberal District of Columbia only furthered Democratic margins. Widening margins in Northern Virginia allowed Obama to counteract losses in Southwest Virginia as the Democrats increasingly supported environmentalist policies making them unpopular amongst Appalachian voters. Consequently, Democrats were able to comfortably carry it in every election following 2008: a Republican wouldn't win statewide public office in Virginia until Glenn Youngkin won the 2021 gubernatorial election. According to exit polls from The New York Times,President Exit Polls en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2012/results/president/exit-polls.html 2020-12-05 0362-4331 voter demographics were split. Romney carried men 51-47 while Obama carried women 54–45. Men and women make up 47% and 53% of the electorate, respectively. While Romney expectedly carried white voters in a 61-37 landslide, Obama was able to offset these wins with 93–6, 64–33, and 66-32 landslides among African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians, respectively. Cumulatively, these minorities consisted of 28% of the electorate. Splits among age groups were also obvious: voters 18 to 29 and 30 to 44 favored Obama 61-36 and 54–45, respectively, while voters aged 46–64 favored the Republican ticket 53-44 and 65+ favored them 54–46. Romney was able to carry three of four education groups: those with no, some, or a college degree favored Romney by narrow margins of 50–49, 51–47, and 50–48, respectively, but Obama canceled out these wins with a 57–42 win among postgraduates. Respectively, these groups comprise 46%, 25%, 30%, and 24% of voters. Self-identified moderates were carried by Obama 56–42, but Independents flipped back into the Republican column, backing Romney 54–43 after backing Obama by 1 percentage point in 2008. Economic status also showed a clear political divide in exit polls. The president's strength came from lower-income voters: he carried those with an income under $30,000 by 61-38 and an income $30,000 to $50,000 by 60–38. Meanwhile, Romney carried those making over $50,000 by 52-47 and over $100,000 by 51–47. However, Romney's close win among the upper middle class was a good sign for Democrats: Bush carried them 57–43 in 2004, a 14-point win, and it solidified suburban Northern Virginia's shift left. In terms of county performance, Romney flipped two counties back into the Republican column, including Montgomery, home to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. King and Queen County also returned to the Republican column, thereby making Obama the first Democrat to win the White House without carrying this county. Obama racked up his greatest margins in independent cities, where he received upwards of 70% of the vote in many of them. Petersburg gave 89.79% of its vote to the Democratic ticket. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Romney's best performances were in Southwest Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley, where he garnered over 60% of ballots cast. Despite polls predicting a close race, Obama's comfortable margin in Virginia solidified the state's shift to the Democrats.Cohen Micah November 4, 2012 In Virginia, It's Tradition Versus Change https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/in-virginia-its-tradition-versus-change/ https://web.archive.org/web/20140709202602/http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/in-virginia-its-tradition-versus-change/ dead July 9, 2014 December 4, 2020 FiveThirtyEight en-US In 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton would win the state by 5.32% against Donald Trump, one of the few states where she improved on Obama's margins despite losing the election nationwide.2017-08-01 Virginia Election Results 2016 en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/virginia 2020-12-05 0362-4331 In 2020, Joe Biden won the state by 10.11%, the best margin for a Democrat since Franklin D. Roosevelt's 24.97% margin in 1944.2020-11-03 Virginia Election Results en-US The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/11/03/us/elections/results-virginia.html 2020-12-05 0362-4331 + 2012 Virginia presidential election (New York Times) Demographic subgroupObamaRomney % oftotal voteIdeology Liberals 92 7 24 Moderates 56 42 45 Conservatives 11 87 31Party Democrats 94 6 39 Republicans 5 94 32 Independents 43 54 29Age 18–29 years old 61 36 19 30–44 years old 54 45 27 45–64 years old 46 53 41 65 and older 46 54 14Gender Men 47 51 47 Women 54 45 53Marital status Married 44 55 62 Unmarried 61 37 38Race/ethnicity White 37 61 70 Black 93 6 20 Latino 64 33 5 Asian 66 32 3Education Never attended college 49 50 46 Some college education 47 51 25 College graduate 48 50 30 Advanced degree 57 42 24Income Under $30K 61 38 18 $30K-$49K 60 38 18 $50K or more 47 52 65 $100K or more 47 51 34 See also Republican Party presidential debates, 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries, 2012 Results of the 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries Virginia Republican Party References 30em External links The Green Papers: for Virginia The Green Papers: Major state elections in chronological order expanded United States president Virginia 2012