2012 United States presidential election in South Dakota

none June 2025 September 2023 2012 United States presidential election 2012 United States presidential election in South Dakota South Dakota presidential no 2008 United States presidential election in South Dakota 2008 2016 United States presidential election in South Dakota 2016 November 6, 2012 x200px Mitt_Romney_by_Gage_Skidmore_6_cropped.jpg Mitt Romney Republican Party (United States) Massachusetts Paul Ryan 3 210,610 57.89% President Barack Obama, 2012 portrait crop.jpg Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) Illinois Joe Biden 0 145,039 39.87% 2012 United States presidential election in South Dakota results map by county.svg 300px County results Romney #f2b3be 40–50% #e27f90 50–60% #cc2f4a 60–70% #d40000 70–80% #aa0000 80–90% Obama #86b6f2 50–60% #4389e3 60–70% #1666cb 70–80% #002b84 90–100% President Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) The 2012 United States presidential election in South Dakota 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 Dakota voters chose three 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. Prior to the election, all seventeen news organizations making predictions for the election considered this a state Romney would win, or otherwise considered as a safe red state. South Dakota has not voted for a Democratic presidential nominee since Lyndon B. Johnson carried it in his 44-state landslide in 1964. South Dakota, just as all of the other states in the Great Plains, is among the most Republican states in the country. According to a 2012 Gallup poll, South Dakota is the 9th most conservative state in the country, with Republicans having an 11 percentage point advantage over Democrats in terms of party affiliation or identification.Jones Jeffrey M. February 2, 2012 More States Move to GOP in 2011 https://news.gallup.com/poll/152438/States-Move-GOP-2011.aspx 2020-11-27 Gallup en It is also the 10th whitest state in the country as of 2012, at 83.8%,2012 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_1YR_DP05&prodType=table dead https://archive.today/20200212212412/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_1YR_DP05&prodType=table 12 February 2020 23 March 2014 American FactFinder, U.S. Census Bureau and has the 4th highest gun ownership rate in the country at 56.6%, according to The Washington Post.Cochran Laura May 26, 2006 Gun Ownership by State https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/health/interactives/guns/ownership.html November 27, 2020 The Washington Post Both of these voting blocs are relatively solid for the Republican Party.Cohen Micah August 24, 2012 In South Dakota, Only the Farm Trumps Conservatism https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/in-south-dakota-only-the-farm-trumps-conservatism/ https://web.archive.org/web/20141230012139/http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/in-south-dakota-only-the-farm-trumps-conservatism/ dead December 30, 2014 November 27, 2020 FiveThirtyEight en-US While Obama lost the state by only 8.41% in 2008, illustrating a potential resurgence of Democratic strength among the agrarian population as seen in states such as Iowa, the state was returned to the safe Republican column in 2012. Romney won South Dakota by an 18.02% margin of victory. Romney was able to win back southeast Dakota: Obama became competitive there in 2008, when he won Minnehaha County (and many of its suburbs), home to the state's largest city of Sioux Falls, by only 587 votes.South Dakota - Election Results 2008 - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2008/results/states/south-dakota.html 2020-11-27 www.nytimes.com Romney carried upwards of 60% of the vote in many counties, with his best performance in the West River. He also flipped Brown County, where Aberdeen is. Obama's best performance was in majority Native American counties in the west of the state. He carried 93.35% of the vote in Shannon County (now known as Oglala Lakota), home to the Pine Ridge Reservation and the Oglala Lakota tribe. The counties of Buffalo; Dewey; and Todd, where the Crow Creek; Cheyenne River and Standing Rock; and Rosebud reservations are located, respectively, also delivered great margins to the president. Clay County, home to the University of South Dakota, was the only county in the southeast to vote for Obama. As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last time in which the Democratic candidate won Corson County, Day County, Marshall County, and Roberts County. Primary elections Democratic primary June 2022 Republican primary 2012 South Dakota Republican presidential primary South Dakota presidential no 2008 South Dakota Republican presidential primary 2008 2016 South Dakota Republican presidential primary 2016 2012 06 05 x125px Mitt_Romney_by_Gage_Skidmore_6_cropped.jpg Mitt Romney ff6600 Massachusetts 25 34,033 66.05% Ron Paul by Gage Skidmore 3 (crop 2).jpg Ron Paul ffcc00 Texas 0 6,704 13.01% Rick Santorum by Gage Skidmore.jpg Rick Santorum 008000 Pennsylvania 0 5,916 11.48% x125px|alt=|link= Uncommitted 000000 N/A 0 2,797 5.43% South Dakota Republican primary results by county, 2012.svg 260px South Dakota results by county #f25000 Mitt Romney (Note: Italicization indicates a withdrawn candidacy) The Republican primary took place on June 5, 2012.Primary and Caucus Printable Calendar CNN http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/calendar.html January 12, 2012 25 delegates will be chosen, for a total of 28 delegates to go to the national convention. 2012 South Dakota Republican primary Candidate Votes Percentage Delegates Mitt Romney 34,033 66.1% 25 Ron Paul 6,704 13.01% 0 Rick Santorum 5,916 11.48% 0 Uncommitted 2,797 5.43% 0 Newt Gingrich 2,074 4.03% 0 Unpledged delegates: 3 Total: 51,524 100.0% 28 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://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 2012 United States presidential election in South DakotaPartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Republican Mitt Romney Paul Ryan 210,610 57.89% 3 Democratic Barack Obama (incumbent) Joe Biden (incumbent) 145,039 39.87% 0 Libertarian Gary Johnson Jim Gray 5,795 1.59% 0 Constitution Virgil Goode Jim Clymer 2,371 0.65% 0 Totals 363,815 100.00% 3 By county Countyhttps://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/assets/Archive/Prior%20to%202026/OfficialGeneralElectionStateCanvass.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20260823223017/https://sdsos.gov/elections-voting/assets/Archive/Prior%20to%202026/OfficialGeneralElectionStateCanvass.pdf August 23, 2026 live State Canvass Gant Jason Jason Gant November 13, 2012 Secretary of State of South Dakota August 27, 2026Mitt RomneyRepublicanBarack ObamaDemocraticVarious candidatesOther partiesMarginTotal#%#%#%#%Aurora80457.43%55639.71%402.86%24817.71%1,400Beadle4,23058.24%2,88139.67%1522.09%1,34918.57%7,263Bennett62652.04%54845.55%292.41%786.48%1,203Bon Homme1,83059.53%1,16737.96%772.50%66321.57%3,074Brookings6,22050.16%5,82746.99%3532.85%3933.17%12,400Brown8,32151.79%7,25045.12%4973.09%1,0716.67%16,068Brule1,49963.01%82434.64%562.35%67528.37%2,379Buffalo16625.90%47273.63%30.47%-306-47.74%641Butte3,07373.03%1,00223.81%1333.16%2,07149.22%4,208Campbell61678.27%15319.44%182.29%46358.83%787Charles Mix2,23059.25%1,48339.40%511.35%74719.85%3,764Clark1,06758.59%71339.15%412.25%35419.44%1,821Clay2,14741.02%2,95556.46%1322.52%-808-15.44%5,234Codington6,69658.10%4,58839.81%2402.08%2,10818.29%11,524Corson51542.92%64854.00%373.08%-133-11.08%1,200Custer3,06267.74%1,33529.54%1232.72%1,72738.21%4,520Davison4,75759.68%3,04238.16%1722.16%1,71521.52%7,971Day1,32045.95%1,49752.11%561.95%-177-6.16%2,873Deuel1,17554.12%94143.34%552.53%23410.78%2,171Dewey66334.99%1,20763.69%251.32%-544-28.71%1,895Douglas1,33478.93%33219.64%241.42%1,00259.29%1,690Edmunds1,26465.29%62232.13%502.58%64233.16%1,936Fall River2,25864.22%1,14032.42%1183.36%1,11831.80%3,516Faulk76567.88%33129.37%312.75%43438.51%1,127Grant2,03456.41%1,49341.40%792.19%54115.00%3,606Gregory1,50770.06%59927.85%452.09%90842.21%2,151Haakon94086.08%13812.64%141.28%80273.44%1,092Hamlin1,80364.55%92132.98%692.47%88231.58%2,793Hand1,24267.21%57531.11%311.68%66736.09%1,848Hanson1,62767.34%76031.46%291.20%86735.89%2,416Harding63886.33%8211.10%192.57%55675.24%739Hughes5,21964.00%2,78634.16%1501.84%2,43329.83%8,155Hutchinson2,45171.56%92326.95%511.49%1,52844.61%3,425Hyde53172.44%18925.78%131.77%34246.66%733Jackson66159.76%42638.52%191.72%23521.25%1,106Jerauld53853.48%45244.93%161.59%868.55%1,006Jones49080.46%10817.73%111.81%38262.73%609Kingsbury1,45155.64%1,09241.87%652.49%35913.77%2,608Lake3,41954.40%2,72443.34%1422.26%69511.06%6,285Lawrence7,02561.85%3,97334.98%3613.18%3,05226.87%11,359Lincoln13,61162.00%7,98236.36%3591.64%5,62925.64%21,952Lyman93359.46%60538.56%311.98%32820.91%1,569Marshall88944.74%1,06153.40%371.86%-172-8.66%1,987McCook1,65563.34%90534.63%532.03%75028.70%2,613McPherson92175.80%27222.39%221.81%64953.42%1,215Meade7,56669.95%2,92827.07%3232.99%4,63842.88%10,817Mellette38149.54%37548.76%131.69%60.78%769Miner63655.79%47942.02%252.19%15713.77%1,140Minnehaha40,34252.68%34,67445.28%1,5672.05%5,6687.40%76,583Moody1,53550.61%1,42947.12%692.27%1063.49%3,033Pennington28,23263.49%15,12534.02%1,1072.49%13,10729.48%44,464Perkins1,20575.79%31920.06%664.15%88655.72%1,590Potter1,02974.51%33924.55%130.94%69049.96%1,381Roberts1,88344.24%2,30254.09%711.67%-419-9.84%4,256Sanborn68861.70%38934.89%383.41%29926.82%1,115Shannon1885.98%2,93793.39%200.64%-2,749-87.41%3,145Spink1,67054.92%1,30042.75%712.33%37012.17%3,041Stanley1,06369.03%43528.25%422.73%62840.78%1,540Sully61374.94%18622.74%192.32%42752.20%818Todd49819.94%1,97679.13%230.92%-1,478-59.19%2,497Tripp1,90570.79%73727.39%491.82%1,16843.40%2,691Turner2,71564.49%1,41133.52%842.00%1,30430.97%4,210Union4,69861.85%2,78236.62%1161.53%1,91625.22%7,596Walworth1,73170.31%67127.25%602.44%1,06043.05%2,462Yankton5,49555.09%4,22642.37%2532.54%1,26912.72%9,974Ziebach31441.26%43957.69%81.05%-125-16.43%761Totals210,61057.89%145,03939.87%8,1662.24%65,57118.02%363,815 Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Brookings (largest city: Brookings) Brown (largest city: Aberdeen) Lake (largest city: Madison) Miner (largest city: Howard) Minnehaha (largest city: Sioux Falls) Moody (largest city: Flandreau) right 260px Swing by county 260px Trend relative to the state by county Legend #00a1c8 Democratic — >15% #09ceff Democratic — +10−12.5% #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% 260px County flips Legend Democratic #92c5de Hold Republican #f48882 Hold #ca0120 Flip By congressional district South Dakota has only one congressional district because of its small population compared to other states. This district, called the at-large district because it covers the entire state, is equivalent to the statewide election results. District Romney Obama RepresentativeAt-large 57.89% 39.87%Kristi Noem See also United States presidential elections in South Dakota 2012 Republican Party presidential debates and forums 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries Results of the 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries South Dakota Republican Party References External links The Green Papers: for South Dakota The Green Papers: Major state elections in chronological order 2012 United States President South Dakota