2012 United States presidential election in New Jersey

none June 2025 September 2023 2012 United States presidential election 2012 United States presidential election in New Jersey New Jersey presidential no 2008 United States presidential election in New Jersey 2008 2016 United States presidential election in New Jersey 2016 November 6, 2012Some voters in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy were allowed to cast votes through November 9. 66.91%https://nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/election-results/other/2022-1925-general-election-data.pdf General Election Data - 1924 to 2022 NJ.gov ( 5.78%) x200px President Barack Obama, 2012 portrait crop.jpg Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) Illinois Joe Biden 14 2,126,610 58.38% Mitt_Romney_by_Gage_Skidmore_6_cropped.jpg Mitt Romney Republican Party (United States) Massachusetts Paul Ryan 0 1,478,749 40.59% 350px County results 350px Congressional district results 350px Municipality 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% President Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) The 2012 United States presidential election in New Jersey 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. Voters in the state chose 14 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. New Jersey was won by President Obama with 58.38% of the vote to Romney's 40.59%, a 17.79% margin of victory, an increase from 15.53% in 2008.http://nj.gov/state/elections/2012-results/2012-official-general-results-president.pdf New Jersey Division of Elections Official General Election Results 7 December 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20130509014626/http://nj.gov/state/elections/2012-results/2012-official-general-results-president.pdf 9 May 2013 dead New Jersey was 1 of just 6 states to swing in President Obama's favor between 2008 and 2012, giving him the largest vote share for a Democratic presidential nominee in the state since Lyndon Johnson's 1964. Obama won over many municipalities in northeastern New Jersey that voted Republican in 2008. As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last time a Democrat has won Salem County. Primary elections Democratic primary Incumbent Barack Obama ran unopposedApril 12, 2012 Official List Candidates for president For PRIMARY ELECTION 06/05/2012 Election http://www.nj.gov/state/elections/2012-results/2012-official-primary-candidates-president-0412.pdf December 11, 2012 New Jersey Department of State - Division of Elections in the Democratic primary held on June 5, 2012. He received 283,673 votesJuly 23, 2012 Official List Candidates for president For PRIMARY ELECTION 06/05/2012 Election http://www.nj.gov/state/elections/2012-results/2012-official-primary-results-president-0723.pdf December 11, 2012 New Jersey Department of State - Division of Elections according to the Secretary of State, though county clerks' websites report write-in votes as well. The state's 172 delegates voted unanimously for Obama at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.November 17, 2012 New Jersey Democratic Delegation 2012 http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P12/NJ-D December 11, 2012 The Green Papers Republican primary 2012 New Jersey Republican presidential primary New Jersey presidential no 2008 New Jersey Republican presidential primary 2008 2016 United States presidential election in New Jersey#Primary elections 2016 2012 06 05 Mitt_Romney_by_Gage_Skidmore_6_cropped.jpg Mitt Romney Republican Party (United States) Massachusetts 50 188,121 81.3% Ron Paul, official Congressional photo portrait, 2007.jpg Ron Paul Republican Party (United States) Texas 0 24,017 10.4% The Republican primary occurred on June 5, 2012.Primary and Caucus Printable Calendar CNN http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/calendar.html January 11, 2012Presidential Primary Dates Federal Election Commission http://www.FEC.gov/pubrec/fe2012/2012pdates.pdf January 23, 2012 New Jersey sent 50 delegates to the Republican National Convention on August 5, 2012. All 50 delegates were awarded by a winner-take-all statewide vote. New Jersey Republican Party rules obligate and require the delegates to cast their vote for the winner of the primary on the first 3 ballots at the convention.2012 Presidential Primaries, Caucuses, and Conventions The Green Papers http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P12/NJ-R March 4, 2012 New Jersey Republican primary, 2012 Candidate Votes Percentage Delegates14px Mitt Romney 188,121 81.3% 50Ron Paul 24,017 10.4% 0Rick Santorum 12,115 5.2% 0Newt Gingrich 7,212 3.1% 0Pledged leaders:3Total: 231,465 100.0%50 Key:Withdrew prior to contest General election Predictions SourceRankingAs ofHuffington PostHuffington Post Election Dashboard HuffPost http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/2012/romney-vs-obama-electoral-map https://web.archive.org/web/20120502191502/http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/2012/romney-vs-obama-electoral-map 2012-05-02Safe 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 2013-01-19Safe DNovember 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://web.archive.org/web/20120708073900/http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/electoral-map July 8, 2012 Safe D 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 DNovember 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 DNovember 6, 2012Sabato's Crystal Ball https://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/projection-obama-will-likely-win-second-term/ PROJECTION: OBAMA WILL LIKELY WIN SECOND TERMSolid DNovember 5, 2012FiveThirtyEight https://www.masslive.com/news/2012/11/nate_silvers_political_calcula.html Nate Silver's political calculations predict 2012 election outcomeSolid DNovember 6, 2012 Candidate ballot access Barack Obama/Joseph Biden, Democratic Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan, Republican Merlin Miller/Harry Bertram, American Third Position Virgil Goode/Jim Clymer, Constitution Jill Stein/Cheri Honkala, Green Gary Johnson/James P. Gray, Libertarian Rocky Anderson/Luis J. Rodriguez, Justice Jeff Boss/Bob Pasternak, NSA Did 911 Peta Lindsay/Yari Osorio, Socialism and Liberation James Harris/Maura Deluca, Socialist Workers http://www.nj.gov/state/elections/2012-results/2012-unofficial-general-candidates-president-0913.pdf Official List Candidates for president For GENERAL ELECTION 11/06/2012 Election September 13, 2012 New Jersey Secretary of State - Division of Elections December 11, 2012 Effects of Hurricane Sandy on voting Due to the difficulty of getting to polling places because of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, voters who were displaced were allowed to request absentee ballots through email, which they would then return by email or fax, as well as mailing the original ballot back by November 19.http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/06/14974588-new-jerseys-email-voting-suffers-major-glitches-deadline-extended-to-friday?lite New Jersey's email voting suffers major glitches, deadline extended to Friday 2012-11-09 https://web.archive.org/web/20121109014901/http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/06/14974588-new-jerseys-email-voting-suffers-major-glitches-deadline-extended-to-friday?lite November 9, 2012 https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2012/11/new-jersey-email-votes-shouldnt-be-counted-yet-experts-say/59321/?oref=ng-next-story New Jersey email votes shouldn’t be counted yet, experts say Sternstein Aliya November 6, 2012 August 31, 2024 NextGov Various issues and delays were subsequently incurred. Officials were not prepared for the 15 minutes that it took to validate each request, and received many requests from voters not displaced who incorrectly believed they were eligible to participate in the program; due to these delays, email voting was extended until Friday, November 9, at 8 PM. Requests had to be submitted by 5 PM on November 6. On November 26, days before the state's deadline to certify election results, it was reported that the 10,000 or so emailed ballots had yet to be tallied, and officials in several counties remained unaware about the requirement to mail in ballots that had already been sent by email or fax. https://www.politico.com/story/2012/11/new-jersey-email-voting-a-casualty-in-sandys-wake-084202 Sandy disrupts N.J. email voting Freiss Steve November 26, 2012 August 31, 2024 Politico It is likely that Obama's response to the hurricane, approved by 77% of Obama voters (with 8% disapproving and 15% unsure) and 44% (with 21% disapproving and 35% unsure) of Romney's voters, boosted his performance in New Jersey, which was hit hard by the superstorm.Cohen Jon Craighill Peyton M. Clement Scott 2012-10-31 WaPo-ABC tracking poll: High marks for President Obama on Hurricane Sandy response en-US The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2012/10/31/wapo-abc-tracking-poll-high-marks-for-president-obama-on-hurricane-sandy-response/ 2020-09-03 0190-8286 Results thumb|300px|Vote share by Legislative district #d02823 Romney: #E27F90 50–60% #CC2F4A 60–70% #416fcd Obama: #86B6F2 50–60% #4389E3 60–70% #1666CB 70–80% #0645B4 80–90% 2012 United States presidential election in New JerseyPartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Democratic Barack Obama (incumbent) Joe Biden (incumbent) 2,126,610 58.25% 14 Republican Mitt Romney Paul Ryan 1,478,749 40.50% 0 Libertarian Gary Johnson Jim Gray 21,045 0.58% 0 Green Jill Stein Cheri Honkala 9,888 0.27% 0 Constitution Virgil Goode Jim Clymer 2,064 0.06% 0 Justice Rocky Anderson Luis J. Rodriguez 1,724 0.05% 0 NSA Did 911 Jeff Boss Bob Pasternak 1,007 0.03% 0 Socialist Workers James Harris Maura Deluca 710 0.02% 0 American Third Position Merlin Miller Harry Bertram 664 0.02% 0 Socialism and Liberation Peta Lindsay Yari Osorio 521 0.01% 0 Totals 3,640,292 100.00% 14 Voter Turnout (Registered) 66.4% thumb|upright=1.1|Results of the general election by municipality, darker colors indicate higher win percentage: -Blue municipalities won by Obama -Red municipalities won by Romney By county County Barack ObamaDemocratic Mitt RomneyRepublican Various candidatesOther parties Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # % Atlantic 65,600 57.88% 46,522 41.04% 1,222 1.08% 19,078 16.84% 113,344 Bergen 212,754 55.12% 169,070 43.80% 4,166 1.08% 43,684 11.32% 385,990 Burlington 126,377 58.42% 87,401 40.40% 2,561 1.18% 38,976 18.02% 216,339 Camden 153,682 68.02% 69,476 30.75% 2,791 1.23% 84,206 37.27% 225,949 Cape May 21,657 45.03% 25,781 53.61% 655 1.36% -4,124 -8.58% 48,093 Cumberland 34,055 61.51% 20,658 37.31% 656 1.18% 13,397 24.20% 55,369 Essex 237,035 77.95% 64,767 21.30% 2,269 0.75% 172,268 56.65% 304,071 Gloucester 74,013 54.59% 59,456 43.86% 2,101 1.55% 14,557 10.73% 135,570 Hudson 153,108 77.45% 42,369 21.43% 2,217 1.12% 110,739 56.02% 197,694 Hunterdon 26,876 40.34% 38,687 58.07% 1,061 1.59% -11,811 -17.73% 66,624 Mercer 104,377 67.19% 47,355 30.48% 3,623 2.33% 57,022 36.71% 155,355 Middlesex 190,555 63.13% 107,310 35.55% 3,995 1.32% 83,245 27.58% 301,860 Monmouth 133,820 46.84% 148,000 51.81% 3,847 1.35% -14,180 -4.97% 285,667 Morris 100,563 43.98% 125,279 54.79% 2,805 1.23% -24,716 -10.81% 228,647 Ocean 102,300 40.62% 146,475 58.16% 3,079 1.22% -44,175 -17.54% 251,854 Passaic 115,926 63.62% 64,523 35.41% 1,765 0.97% 51,403 28.21% 182,214 Salem 14,719 49.69% 14,334 48.39% 570 1.92% 385 1.30% 29,623 Somerset 74,592 52.10% 66,603 46.52% 1,985 1.38% 7,989 5.58% 143,180 Sussex 26,104 38.28% 40,625 59.57% 1,465 2.15% -14,521 -21.29% 68,194 Union 139,752 66.52% 68,314 32.52% 2,022 0.96% 71,438 34.00% 210,088 Warren 18,745 41.27% 25,744 56.69% 926 2.04% -6,999 -15.42% 45,415Totals2,126,61058.25%1,478,74940.50%45,7811.25%647,86117.75%3,651,140 right 280px Swing by county 280px Trend relative to the state by county Legend #ff8080 Republican — +5−7.5% #ffaaaa Republican — +2.5−5% #ffd5d5 Republican — +0−2.5% #d5f6ff Democratic — +0−2.5% #aaeeff Democratic — +2.5−5% #77e3ff Democratic — +5−7.5% By congressional district Obama won eight of 12 congressional districts, including two that elected Republicans.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 Obama Romney RepresentativeNew Jersey 1 1st 65% 34%Rob AndrewsNew Jersey 2 2nd 54% 45%Frank LoBiondoNew Jersey 3 3rd 52% 47%Jon Runyan New Jersey 4 4th 45% 54%Chris SmithNew Jersey 5 5th 49% 51%Scott GarrettNew Jersey 6 6th 61% 37%Frank Pallone Jr.New Jersey 7 7th 46% 53%Leonard Lance New Jersey 8 8th 78% 21%Albio SiresNew Jersey 9 9th 68% 31%Bill PascrellNew Jersey 10 10th 88% 12%Donald Payne Jr.New Jersey 11 11th 47% 52%Rodney FrelinghuysenNew Jersey 12 12th 67% 32%Rush Holt Jr. Analysis New Jersey was one of just six states that voted more Democratic in 2012 than it had in 2008. In 2008, Obama won the state by roughly 602,000 votes, whereas in 2012, this margin increased to about 648,000 votes. Obama's increased statewide margin owed itself to larger Democratic margins in several central and northern counties. In Middlesex, Hudson, Passaic, and Union Counties collectively, Obama netted nearly 45,000 additional votes compared to 2008. Outside of these four counties, most others in the state had comparable margins to 2008. Turnout patterns relative to 2008 arguably helped Obama increase his statewide margin. Every county cast fewer votes in 2012 than in 2008, but not uniformly so. Perhaps due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy, conservative Monmouth County saw the largest percentage decrease in votes cast from 2008, with Ocean County also witnessing a substantial decline in votes cast. In the northwestern part of the state, strongly Republican Sussex and Warren County experienced moderately lower turnout. In terms of raw votes cast, Passaic County, which was strongly Democratic, came closest to its 2008 figures, with just 5,000 fewer votes cast in 2012 than in 2008. Obama's improved performance was quite unusual as his performance worsened in most other areas of the nation (particularly the Midwest and Rust Belt). It is likely this was due to his widely approved response to Hurricane Sandy, which had a devastating effect on the state, causing two million households to lose power, destroying 346,000 homes,Chris Smith (New Jersey politician) Chris Smith (New Jersey politician) January 2, 2013 Floor statement on Sandy supplemental http://chrissmith.house.gov/uploadedfiles/floor_remarks_on_sandy_jan_2_2013.pdf United States House of Representatives and causing blockades on bridges and roads for up to two weeks.Star-Ledger Mike Frassinelli/The 2012-11-02 N.J. to get $10M in emergency relief to repair roads, bridges in wake of Sandy https://www.nj.com/news/2012/11/nj_to_get_10m_in_emergency_rel.html 2020-09-03 nj en Obama's response to the superstorm also likely contributed to his improved performance. According to a poll conducted by ABC News and The Washington Post, not only did 77% of Obama's voters approve of his handling of the storm (with 8% disapproving and 15% unsure), he also received a plurality amongst Romney voters, with 44% approving of his handling, 21% disapproving, and 35% unsure. Another poll by the Pew Research Center found that 67% of registered voters approved of Obama's response with only 15% disapproving.Cassidy John How Much Did Hurricane Sandy Help Obama? https://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/how-much-did-hurricane-sandy-help-obama 2020-09-03 The New Yorker 4 November 2012 en-us Chris Christie, the state's Republican governor called Obama's response to the hurricane "outstanding" and praised him for his frequent coordination with the New Jersey government, potentially boosting his popularity amongst Republican voters.Robillard Kevin Christie heaps praise on Obama https://www.politico.com/story/2012/10/christie-heaps-praise-on-obama-083042 2020-09-03 POLITICO en See also United States presidential elections in New Jersey New Jersey Republican Party 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries Notes References External links The Green Papers: for New Jersey The Green Papers: Major state elections in chronological order expanded 2012 United States President New Jersey