2012 United States presidential election in Ohio

none June 2025 September 2023 2012 United States presidential election 2012 United States presidential election in Ohio Ohio presidential no 2008 United States presidential election in Ohio 2008 November 6, 2012 2016 United States presidential election in Ohio 2016 70.54%https://www.sos.state.oh.us/elections/election-results-and-data/2012-elections-results/ 2012 ELECTIONS RESULTS 25 June 2020 Ohio Secretary of State October 18, 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201018101640/https://www.sos.state.oh.us/elections/election-results-and-data/2012-elections-results/ dead x200px President Barack Obama, 2012 portrait crop.jpg Barack Obama Democratic Party (United States) Illinois Joe Biden 18 2,827,709 50.67% 250px County results 250px Congressional district results Obama #b9d7ff 40–50% #86b6f2 50–60% #4389e3 60–70% #0645b4 80–90% Romney #f2b3be 40–50% #e27f90 50–60% #cc2f4a 60–70% #d40000 70–80% 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 2,661,437 47.69% The 2012 United States presidential election in Ohio 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. Ohio voters chose 18 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. This election continued Ohio's bellwether streak, as the state voted for the winner of the presidency in every election from 1964 to 2016. President Obama won the popular vote in Ohio with 50.67% of the vote over Mitt Romney in second place at 47.69%, a Democratic victory margin of 2.98%. A number of media outlets called Ohio for Obama, declared him re-elected for a second term.Ohio Decides 2012 – Candidates for President http://www2.sos.state.oh.us/pls/enrpublic/f?p=212:41:322428490691601::NO::P41_REGION,P41_RACE_CODE:Statewide,PR https://archive.today/20121224180335/http://www2.sos.state.oh.us/pls/enrpublic/f?p=212:41:322428490691601::NO::P41_REGION,P41_RACE_CODE:Statewide,PR dead December 24, 2012 Ohio Secretary of Statehttps://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna49720839 Obama wins re-election; Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin prove pivotal NBC News November 7, 2012 December 9, 2024 Obama's performance was a decline from 2008 when he won the state by a 4.59% margin over U.S. Senator John McCain, and he narrowly lost five counties that he won in 2008.Ohio - Election Results 2008 - The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2008/results/states/ohio.html 2020-09-27 www.nytimes.com However, he narrowly improved his margins in Cuyahoga County and Franklin County, home to the second largest city, Cleveland, and the state's capital and largest city, Columbus, respectively, allowing him to carry the state. Obama became the first Democrat to win the White House without Belmont County since Grover Cleveland in 1892, as well as the first to win without neighboring Jefferson County since Woodrow Wilson in 1916 and the first to win without Monroe or Tuscarawas Counties since John F. Kennedy in 1960. Ohio is also one of only three states that backed Obama twice that would go on to vote against his vice president Joe Biden in 2020, the other two being Florida and Iowa. As of the 2024 United States presidential election, this is the last time the Democratic presidential nominee won Ohio, as well as the last time Ashtabula County, Erie County, Ottawa County, Portage County, Sandusky County, Stark County, Trumbull County, and Wood County, have voted Democratic in a presidential election. This was also the last time the state voted for the winner of the national popular vote until 2024. Primaries Democratic primary The Democratic primary was held on March 6, 2012, the same day as the Republican primary. Incumbent President Barack Obama ran unopposed, and thus won all 151 of the state's delegates. Republican primary 2012 Ohio Republican presidential primary Ohio presidential no 2008 Ohio Republican presidential primary 2008 2012 03 06 2016 Ohio Republican presidential primary 2016 Mitt_Romney_by_Gage_Skidmore_6_cropped.jpg Mitt Romney Massachusetts 38 456,513 37.9% Ohio Republican Presidential Primary Election Results by County, 2012.svg 210px Ohio results by county #ff6600 Mitt Romney #008000 Rick Santorum Rick Santorum by Gage Skidmore.jpg Rick Santorum Pennsylvania 25 446,255 37.1% Newt Gingrich by Gage Skidmore 3 (cropped).jpg Newt Gingrich Georgia 0 175,556 14.6% Ron Paul by Gage Skidmore 3 (crop 2).jpg Ron Paul Texas 0 111,238 9.2% ff6600 008000 800080 ffcc00 x125px The 2012 Ohio Republican presidential primary took place on March 6, 2012.Primary and Caucus Printable Calendar CNN http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/calendar.html January 12, 2012 Ohio has 66 delegates to the Republican National Convention. Three party officials (also known as "superdelegates") are not bound by the primary result. Forty-eight delegates are generally awarded winner-take-all by Congressional district. Another 15 delegates are awarded to the candidate who gets an outright majority statewide, or are allocated proportionately among candidates winning at least 20% of the vote if no candidate wins a majority.Silver Nate Nate Silver March 4, 2012 State-by-State Analysis: 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 2012 Ohio Republican presidential primary2012-03-08 Election 2012: Ohio Republican Primary https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2012/primaries/states/ohio.html The New York Times live https://archive.today/20240908220437/https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2012/primaries/states/ohio.html 2024-09-08 A spreadsheet of the results can be downloaded directly from the Ohio Secretary of State website.CandidateVotesPercentageEstimated national delegates Mitt Romney 460,831 37.9% 38 Rick Santorum 448,580 37.1% 25 Newt Gingrich 177,183 14.6% 0 Ron Paul 113,256 9.3% 0 Rick Perry 7,539 0.6% 0 Jon Huntsman, Jr. 6,490 0.5% 0 Unprojected delegates 7 Totals 1,213,879 100.0% 66 Despite an early lead in the vote count and having won most counties, Santorum's lead was reduced and overcome by Romney as Hamilton and Cuyahoga County results came in.Exclusive Super Tuesday Numbers from Hamilton County 2012-03-06 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKo_b1d96QE CNN 2016-04-26 Romney also won areas such as Akron, Youngstown, Dayton and Columbus. These and other highly populated counties would eventually go to Obama in November. Key: Withdrewprior to contest Notes: 1. In the six congressional districts where Rick Santorum submitted only a partial slate of district delegates and district alternates by the late December 2011 deadline, he will be automatically awarded only the number of delegates he submitted, assuming he wins the particular district. The Ohio Republican Party said on March 2, 2012, that the remaining delegates in such districts will be "considered unbound" until a panel composed of three members of the Ohio GOP's central committee decides which campaign (if any) is permitted to appoint such delegates.Falcone Michael 2012-03-02 Rick Santorum's Ohio Delegate Problems Pile Up https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/03/rick-santorums-ohio-delegate-problems-pile-up/ ABC News March 26, 2012 live https://archive.today/20120726092419/http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/03/rick-santorums-ohio-delegate-problems-pile-up/ 2012-07-26 2. In three congressional districts (OH-6, OH-9 and OH-13), Rick Santorum did not make the district-specific portion of the ballot. 3. In every district, each of the 6 candidates listed above appears on the "at-large" portion of the ballot. The results of the at-large ballot will determine the allocation of fifteen national convention delegates. General election Campaign Ohio was considered a key battleground state throughout the general election campaign, and both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney campaigned extensively in the state.Ohio Working Class May Offer Key to Obama's Re-election https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/us/politics/ohio-working-class-may-be-key-to-obama-re-election.html?pagewanted=all The New York Times 31 October 2012 Zeleny Jeff Sussman Dalia Romney visited the state 51 times, while Obama visited 22 times.November 5, 2012 Election 2012: The Campaigns by the Numbers https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/election-2012-campaigns-numbers/story?id=17647443 ABC News Ohio had the most political ads run during the election, with 41,162 ads run by the Romney campaign and 100,674 by the Obama campaign. 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 2012-07-08 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 Ballhttps://centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/projection-obama-will-likely-win-second-term/ PROJECTION: OBAMA WILL LIKELY WIN SECOND TERM Sabato Larry J. Kondik Kyle Skelley Geoffrey November 5, 2012Lean DNovember 5, 2012FiveThirtyEighthttps://www.masslive.com/news/2012/11/nate_silvers_political_calcula.html Nate Silver's political calculations predict 2012 election outcome Leeanne Griffin November 7, 2012 massliveSolid DNovember 6, 2012 Results 2012 United States presidential election in Ohio2012 Elections Results - Ohio Secretary of State https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/election-results-and-data/2012-elections-results/ 2020-09-27 www.ohiosos.gov 2020-09-08 https://web.archive.org/web/20200908223913/https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/election-results-and-data/2012-elections-results/ deadPartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votesDemocraticBarack Obama (incumbent)Joe Biden (incumbent)2,827,70950.58%18RepublicanMitt RomneyPaul Ryan 2,661,437 47.60% 0LibertarianGary JohnsonJim Gray 49,493 0.89% 0GreenJill SteinCheri Honkala 18,573 0.33% 0Independent Richard Duncan Ricky Johnson 12,502 0.22% 0ConstitutionVirgil GoodeJim Clymer 8,152 0.15% 0SocialistStewart AlexanderAlex Mendoza 2,967 0.05% 0 Others 23 0.00% 0Totals5,590,934100.00%18 Voter turnout (registered voters) 70.54% By county Countyhttps://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/ Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections 2021-02-20Barack ObamaDemocraticMitt RomneyRepublicanGary Johnsonhttps://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=493189 OH US President November 06, 2012 Our CampaignsLibertarianJill SteinGreenVarious candidatesOther partiesMarginTotal votes cast#%#%#%#%#%#%Adams3,97635.76%6,86561.75%980.87% 55 0.49%1241.11% -2,889 -25.99%11,118Allen17,91437.06%29,50261.03%4640.96% 164 0.34%2970.61% -11,588 -23.97%48,341Ashland8,28134.02%15,51963.76%2210.91% 115 0.47%2040.84% -7,238 -29.74%24,340Ashtabula23,80355.10%18,29842.36%4331.00% 224 0.52%4421.03%5,50512.74%43,200Athens18,30766.02%8,54330.81%4341.57% 188 0.68%2560.92%9,76435.21%27,728Auglaize5,83124.87%17,16973.22%2090.89% 83 0.35%1570.67% -11,338 -48.35%23,449Belmont14,15644.67%16,75852.88%2320.73% 178 0.56%3641.15% -2,602 -8.21%31,688Brown7,10736.65%11,91661.45%1910.98% 68 0.35%1100.57% -4,809 -24.80%19,392Butler62,38836.58%105,17661.68%1,6540.97% 413 0.24%8990.52% -42,788 -25.10%170,530Carroll5,54341.73%7,31555.07%1731.30% 71 0.53%1821.37% -1,772 -13.34%13,284Champaign7,04438.14%11,04559.81%1590.86% 66 0.36%1540.83% -4,001 -21.67%18,468Clark31,29748.67%31,82049.49%5090.79% 214 0.33%4610.72% -523 -0.82%64,301Clermont30,45831.55%64,20866.52%1,0691.11% 248 0.26%5420.56% -33,750 -34.97%96,525Clinton5,79131.85%12,00966.05%1951.07% 56 0.31%1320.73% -6,218 -34.20%18,183Columbiana19,82142.90%25,25154.66%4340.94% 216 0.47%4771.03% -5,430 -11.76%46,199Coshocton6,94043.97%8,39053.16%1570.99% 96 0.61%2011.28% -1,450 -9.19%15,784Crawford7,50737.82%11,85259.72%1860.94% 108 0.54%1940.98% -4,345 -21.90%19,847Cuyahoga447,27369.32%190,66029.55%3,4480.53% 1,564 0.24%2,3170.36%256,61339.77%645,262Darke6,82626.84%18,10871.21%2120.83% 86 0.34%1980.78% -11,282 -44.37%25,430Defiance7,73242.16%10,17655.49%1871.02% 64 0.35%1800.99% -2,444 -13.33%18,339Delaware37,29237.71%60,19460.86%8510.86% 205 0.21%3570.36% -22,902 -23.15%98,899Erie21,79355.17%16,95242.92%3000.76% 158 0.40%2970.75%4,84112.25%39,500Fairfield29,89041.39%41,03456.82%6240.86% 210 0.29%4620.64% -11,144 -15.43%72,220Fayette4,24938.49%6,62059.97%870.79% 18 0.16%640.58% -2,371 -21.48%11,038Franklin346,37360.53%215,99737.75%5,5350.97% 1,659 0.29%2,6240.46%130,37622.78%572,188Fulton9,07342.58%11,73855.08%2481.16% 82 0.38%1690.80% -2,665 -12.50%21,310Gallia4,55736.10%7,75061.40%790.63% 69 0.55%1671.32% -3,193 -25.30%12,622Geauga19,65938.46%30,58959.85%3860.76% 182 0.36%2970.58% -10,930 -21.39%51,113Greene32,25638.57%49,81959.57%9331.12% 245 0.29%3730.45% -17,563 -21.00%83,626Guernsey7,45044.22%8,99353.37%1741.03% 70 0.42%1620.96% -1,543 -9.15%16,849Hamilton219,92752.50%193,32646.15%3,7560.90% 1,012 0.24%8730.21%26,6016.35%418,894Hancock12,56435.11%22,44362.72%3520.98% 130 0.36%2940.82% -9,879 -27.61%35,783Hardin4,61937.04%7,48960.06%1721.38% 68 0.55%1220.98% -2,870 -23.02%12,470Harrison2,95041.24%4,01956.19%620.87% 47 0.66%751.05% -1,069 -14.95%7,153Henry5,65839.69%8,25757.92%1691.19% 55 0.39%1180.83% -2,599 -18.23%14,257Highland6,05433.86%11,41363.83%1760.98% 67 0.37%1690.95% -5,359 -29.97%17,879Hocking6,15748.22%6,28549.22%1331.04% 57 0.45%1361.06% -128 -1.00%12,768Holmes2,60822.55%8,70275.23%930.80% 43 0.37%1211.05% -6,094 -52.68%11,567Huron11,00644.54%13,06052.85%2601.05% 115 0.47%2701.10% -2,054 -8.31%24,711Jackson5,16638.54%7,90458.97%940.70% 101 0.75%1391.04% -2,738 -20.43%13,404Jefferson15,38546.37%17,03451.34%2480.75% 157 0.47%3531.06% -1,649 -4.97%33,177Knox10,47036.78%17,26660.66%3061.08% 114 0.40%3071.07% -6,796 -23.88%28,463Lake57,68048.61%58,74449.50%1,0730.90% 436 0.37%7320.62% -1,064 -0.89%118,665Lawrence10,74441.43%14,65156.50%1710.66% 93 0.36%2731.05% -3,907 -15.07%25,932Licking34,20141.94%45,50355.80%8171.00% 311 0.38%7180.88% -11,302 -13.86%81,550Logan7,06233.31%13,63364.31%2141.01% 80 0.38%2100.99% -6,571 -31.00%21,199Lorain81,46456.87%59,40541.47%1,2750.89% 554 0.39%5550.39%22,05915.40%143,253Lucas136,61664.86%69,94033.21%2,3181.10% 652 0.31%1,0950.52%66,67631.65%210,621Madison6,84538.99%10,34258.91%1670.95% 67 0.38%1360.77% -3,497 -19.92%17,557Mahoning77,05963.38%42,64135.07%7440.61% 370 0.30%7700.63%34,41828.31%121,584Marion12,50445.61%14,26552.03%2851.04% 132 0.48%2320.85% -1,761 -6.42%27,418Medina38,78542.65%50,41855.45%8380.92% 326 0.36%5640.62% -11,633 -12.80%90,931Meigs4,02739.41%5,89557.69%1111.09% 70 0.69%1151.13% -1,868 -18.28%10,218Mercer4,74521.89%16,56176.40%1420.66% 83 0.38%1450.67% -11,816 -54.51%21,676Miami16,38331.50%34,60666.53%5541.07% 144 0.28%3270.63% -18,223 -35.03%52,014Monroe3,03544.75%3,54852.31%480.71% 47 0.69%1041.54% -513 -7.56%6,782Montgomery137,13951.42%124,84146.81%2,5480.96% 775 0.29%1,4040.53%12,2984.61%266,707Morgan2,81445.86%3,17951.81%420.68% 27 0.44%741.21% -365 -5.95%6,136Morrow5,93336.59%9,86560.83%1741.07% 79 0.49%1661.02% -3,932 -24.24%16,217Muskingum17,00245.73%19,26451.81%3520.95% 185 0.50%3761.00% -2,262 -6.08%37,179Noble2,13136.17%3,56360.48%621.05% 44 0.75%911.54% -1,432 -24.31%5,891Ottawa11,50351.11%10,53846.83%2200.98% 97 0.43%1470.65%9654.28%22,505Paulding3,53838.67%5,35458.51%1011.10% 48 0.52%1091.19% -1,816 -19.84%9,150Perry7,03346.82%7,62750.78%1200.80% 76 0.51%1641.10% -594 -3.96%15,020Pickaway9,68440.09%14,03758.11%2060.85% 74 0.31%1530.63% -4,353 -18.02%24,154Pike5,68449.02%5,68549.03%770.66% 44 0.38%1060.91% -1 -0.01%11,596Portage39,45351.65%35,24246.14%8441.10% 316 0.41%5290.70%4,2115.51%76,384Preble6,21130.71%13,53566.92%2301.14% 82 0.41%1670.83% -7,324 -36.21%20,225Putnam4,31823.47%13,72174.57%1600.87% 71 0.39%1300.71% -9,403 -51.10%18,400Richland22,68739.25%33,86758.59%5030.87% 245 0.42%5040.87% -11,180 -19.34%57,806Ross14,56948.31%15,00849.76%2230.74% 105 0.35%2550.85% -439 -1.45%30,160Sandusky14,54149.98%13,75547.28%3241.11% 162 0.56%3131.07%7862.70%29,095Scioto15,07748.23%15,49249.56%2110.67% 154 0.49%3281.04% -415 -1.33%31,262Seneca11,35344.80%13,24352.26%3161.25% 136 0.54%2951.17% -1,890 -7.46%25,343Shelby6,34326.54%17,14271.71%1780.74% 75 0.31%1650.69% -10,799 -45.17%23,903Stark89,43249.21%88,58148.74%1,5880.87% 732 0.40%1,4130.78%8510.47%181,746Summit153,04157.03%111,00141.36%2,0590.77% 764 0.28%1,4930.56%42,04015.67%268,358Trumbull61,67260.48%38,27937.54%7390.72% 432 0.42%8410.83%23,39322.94%101,963Tuscarawas18,40744.15%22,24253.35%4351.04% 175 0.42%4341.03% -3,835 -9.20%41,693Union8,80534.36%16,28963.57%2801.09% 83 0.32%1660.65% -7,484 -29.21%25,623Van Wert4,02928.99%9,58568.97%950.68% 65 0.47%1240.89% -5,556 -39.98%13,898Vinton2,43644.37%2,85652.02%621.13% 41 0.75%951.72% -420 -7.65%5,490Warren32,90929.60%76,56468.85%1,0110.91% 220 0.20%4930.44% -43,655 -39.25%111,197Washington11,65139.36%17,28458.39%2350.79% 134 0.45%2981.01% -5,633 -19.03%29,602Wayne19,80838.71%30,25159.12%4510.88% 184 0.36%4710.93% -10,443 -20.41%51,165Williams7,26641.04%10,04756.74%1480.84% 95 0.54%1500.84% -2,781 -15.70%17,706Wood32,80251.21%29,70446.37%9401.47% 279 0.44%3340.52%3,0984.84%64,059Wyandot4,13739.02%6,18058.29%990.93% 68 0.64%1181.11% -2,043 -19.27%10,602Totals2,827,70950.58%2,661,43747.60%49,4930.89%18,5730.33%33,7220.60%166,2722.98%5,590,934 Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Belmont (largest city: Martins Ferry) Jefferson (largest city: Steubenville) Lake (largest city: Mentor) Monroe (largest city: Woodsfield) Tuscarawas (largest city: New Philadelphia) right 300px Swing by county 300px Trend relative to the state by county Legend #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 flips Legend Democratic #92c5de Hold Republican #f48882 Hold #ca0120 Flip By congressional district Despite losing the state, Romney won 12 of 16 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 RepresentativeOhio 1 1st 52.4% 46.26%Steve Chabot Ohio 2 2nd 54.75% 43.66%Brad WenstrupOhio 3 3rd 28.9% 69.65%Joyce BeattyOhio 4 4th 55.98% 42%Jim JordanOhio 5 5th 53.88% 44.1%Bob LattaOhio 6 6th 55.2% 42.67%Bill JohnsonOhio 7 7th 53.71% 44.23%Bob Gibbs Ohio 8 8th 61.9% 36.45%John Boehner Ohio 9 9th 30.87% 67.55%Marcy KapturOhio 10 10th 50.14% 48.23%Mike TurnerOhio 11 11th 16.55% 82.74%Marcia Fudge Ohio 12 12th 54.37% 43.9%Pat TiberiOhio 13 13th 35.42% 62.95%Tim RyanOhio 14 14th 50.89% 47.58%David JoyceOhio 15 15th 51.86% 46.34%Steve Stivers Ohio 16 16th 53.35% 45.19%Jim Renacci Analysis Obama's victory in Ohio was enough to push him over the 270 electoral vote line to win the 2012 election. At first the Romney campaign contested the call, but conceded at about 1:00 A.M. President Obama's victory in the state can be attributed to several factors. Although he only won 17 out of Ohio's 88 counties, those 17 counties combined account for 56.56% of its total population.County Population Totals: 2010-2019 https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-counties-total.html 2020-09-27 The United States Census Bureau EN-US Obama's 2.98% margin of victory in Ohio in 2012 was a decrease from his 4.59% victory in 2008. As of , he remains the last Democratic presidential nominee to win Ohio. Romney did do well in most rural areas of the state, particularly in western Ohio. Romney also won all but one county in the Appalachia region, becoming the first Republican since Richard Nixon’s 2,900-plus-county landslide in 1972 to carry Belmont, Jefferson and Monroe Counties, and losing only Athens County, home of Ohio University. He also managed to flip the swing counties of Lake and Tuscarawas. Romney also did well in the northern Columbus suburbs. For Romney, most of his wins came from smaller populated counties. Obama won by comfortable margins in Franklin, Hamilton, and Lucas counties, home to the cities of Columbus, Cincinnati, and Toledo, respectively. Obama's greatest support came from northeast Ohio, centered in Cuyahoga and Summit counties, home to the cities of Cleveland and Akron, respectively, the second and fourth largest cities in the state. The surrounding Cleveland–Akron–Canton metropolitan area and the Lake Erie shore went mostly to Obama, allowing him to carry the state as a whole by a modest 2.98% margin. In February 2013, nineteen cases of voter fraud were investigated in Hamilton County.Poll worker accused of voter fraud in Hamilton County speaks out Emily Maxwell http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/region_central_cincinnati/downtown/Poll-worker-accused-of-voter-fraud-in-Hamilton-County-speaks-out WCPO 6 February 2013 8 February 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20130208011506/http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/news/region_central_cincinnati/downtown/Poll-worker-accused-of-voter-fraud-in-Hamilton-County-speaks-out 8 February 2013 dead Possible Ohio voter fraud investigation heats up Associated Press http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Possible-Ohio-voter-fraud-investigation-heats-up-4256259.php San Francisco Chronicle 6 February 2013 8 February 2013 Three individuals were charged with voter fraud the following month, with one individual alleged to have voted six times.Cincinnati poll worker charged with voting half dozen times in November Eric Shawn https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cincinnati-poll-worker-charged-with-voting-half-dozen-times-in-november/ Fox News 11 March 2013 12 March 2013 Nun, Poll Worker, Widower Charged With Voter Fraud http://www.local12.com/mostpopular/story/Nun-Poll-Worker-Widower-Charged-With-Voter-Fraud/K1VCaNPArk6wfG6p3H62Ow.cspx WKRC Sinclair Broadcast Group 11 March 2013 12 March 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131021063743/http://www.local12.com/mostpopular/story/Nun-Poll-Worker-Widower-Charged-With-Voter-Fraud/K1VCaNPArk6wfG6p3H62Ow.cspx 21 October 2013 dead These incidents would not have affected the outcome of the Ohio race as President Obama ultimately carried the state by 166,272 votes. Some experts believe that the popularity of the auto industry bailout put in place under President Obama helped him take the state.How Obama Took The Battleground States https://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/11/07/164622234/how-obama-took-the-battleground-states NPR See also United States presidential elections in Ohio 2012 United States presidential debates 2012 Republican Party presidential debates and forums 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries Results of the 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries Ohio Republican Party References External links The Green Papers: for Ohio The Green Papers: Major state elections in chronological order United States president Ohio 2012