2012 United States presidential election in North Dakota

Main article: 2012 United States presidential election
2012 United States presidential election in North Dakota
← 2008 November 6, 2012 2016 →
 
Nominee Mitt Romney Barack Obama
Party Republican Democratic–NPL
Home state Massachusetts Illinois
Running mate Paul Ryan Joe Biden
Electoral vote 3 0
Popular vote 188,163 124,827
Percentage 58.32% 38.69%
County Results
President before election

Barack Obama
Democratic-NPL

Elected President

Barack Obama
Democratic-NPL

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The 2012 United States presidential election in North 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. North 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.

Mitt Romney handily won the state with 58.32% of the vote to Barack Obama's 38.69%, a 19.63% margin of victory. He flipped seven counties that Obama carried in 2008, including Cass County, home to Fargo, the state's largest city. Obama was the first Democrat since 1912 to win without Mountrail County. As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last time a Democrat won Benson, Ransom, Sargent, and Steele counties.

Caucuses

Democratic caucuses

Republican caucuses

Main article: 2012 North Dakota Republican presidential caucuses

The 2012 North Dakota Republican caucuses were held on March 6, 2012.[1] North Dakota has 28 delegates to the Republican National Convention;[2] despite Rick Santorum's nominal win in the preference poll conducted during the caucuses, the majority of the delegates elected by the state party convention later in March said they supported Romney.[3]

2012 North Dakota Republican presidential caucuses[4]
Candidate Votes Percentage Delegates [1]
Rick Santorum 4,510 39.7% 6
Ron Paul 3,186 28.1% 2
Mitt Romney 2,691 23.7% 20
Newt Gingrich 962 8.5% 0
Unprojected delegates 0
Totals 11,349 100.0% 28

Convention controversy

The North Dakota Republican Party held its state convention from Friday, March 30 to Sunday, April 1, where twenty-five unbound National Convention delegates were elected. Rick Santorum had won the straw poll at the Legislative Districts caucuses on Super Tuesday with a large margin to Ron Paul in second place and Mitt Romney in third place. The party leadership's recommended slate of delegates was to reflect this straw poll result. However, the slate gave Romney a large majority of the delegates. Former NDGOP Chairman Gary Emineth called the vote undemocratic and a railroad job.[5]

General election

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size 		Margin of
error 		Barack
Obama (D) 		Mitt
Romney (R) 		Other Undecided
Mason-Dixon[6] October 26–28 625 ± 4.0% 40% 54% 3% 3%
Forum/Essman[7] October 12–15 500 ± 4.3% 32% 57% - 11%
Rasmussen Reports[8] October 17–18 600 ± 4.0% 40% 54% 2% 4%
Mason-Dixon[9] October 3–5 625 ± 4.0% 40% 54% 1% 5%
Rasmussen Reports[8] July 10–11, 2012 400 ± - 5% 36% 51% 6% 7%
Mason-Dixon[10] June 4–12 625 ± 4.0% 39% 52% – –

‡Likely primary voters

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
Huffington Post[11] Safe R November 6, 2012
CNN[12] Safe R November 6, 2012
New York Times[13] Safe R November 6, 2012
Washington Post[14] Safe R November 6, 2012
RealClearPolitics[15] Solid R November 6, 2012
Sabato's Crystal Ball[16] Solid R November 5, 2012
FiveThirtyEight[17] Solid R November 6, 2012

Results

2012 United States presidential election in North Dakota[18]
Party Candidate Running mate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican Mitt Romney Paul Ryan 188,163 58.32% 3
Democratic-NPL Barack Obama (incumbent) Joe Biden (incumbent) 124,827 38.69% 0
Libertarian Gary Johnson Jim Gray 5,238 1.62% 0
Other 1,860 0.58% 0
Green Jill Stein Cheri Honkala 1,362 0.42% 0
Constitution Virgil Goode Jim Clymer 1,186 0.37% 0
Totals 322,932 100.00% 3

By county

County Mitt Romney
Republican 		Barack Obama
Democratic-NPL 		Various candidates
Other parties 		Margin Total
# % # % # % # %
Adams 918 71.38% 328 25.51% 40 3.11% 590 45.87% 1,286
Barnes 2,964 53.68% 2,394 43.35% 164 2.97% 570 10.33% 5,522
Benson 868 40.24% 1,235 57.26% 54 2.50% -367 -17.02% 2,157
Billings 472 81.66% 89 15.40% 89 2.94% 383 66.26% 578
Bottineau 2,280 64.14% 1,183 33.28% 92 2.58% 1,097 30.86% 3,555
Bowman 1,280 73.69% 414 23.83% 43 2.48% 866 49.86% 1,737
Burke 769 75.17% 230 22.48% 24 2.35% 539 52.69% 1,023
Burleigh 27,951 64.42% 14,122 32.55% 1,314 3.03% 13,829 31.87% 43,387
Cass 36,855 49.90% 34,712 47.00% 2,288 3.10% 2,143 2.90% 73,855
Cavalier 1,195 57.76% 818 39.54% 56 2.70% 377 18.22% 2,069
Dickey 1,610 63.51% 853 33.65% 72 2.84% 757 29.86% 2,535
Divide 733 63.08% 385 33.13% 44 3.79% 348 29.95% 1,162
Dunn 1,506 74.04% 508 24.98% 20 0.98% 998 49.06% 2,034
Eddy 634 54.80% 486 42.01% 37 3.19% 148 12.79% 1,157
Emmons 1,435 76.17% 383 20.33% 66 3.50% 1,052 55.84% 1,884
Foster 1,030 61.24% 607 36.09% 45 2.67% 423 25.15% 1,682
Golden Valley 742 79.96% 162 17.46% 24 2.58% 580 62.50% 928
Grand Forks 15,060 50.15% 14,032 46.73% 937 3.12% 1,028 3.42% 30,029
Grant 1,025 72.54% 334 23.64% 54 3.82% 691 48.90% 1,413
Griggs 771 57.41% 536 39.91% 36 2.68% 235 17.50% 1,343
Hettinger 1,000 73.42% 313 22.98% 49 3.60% 687 50.44% 1,362
Kidder 870 65.51% 393 29.59% 65 4.90% 477 35.92% 1,328
LaMoure 1,377 62.76% 740 33.73% 77 3.51% 637 29.03% 2,194
Logan 810 75.49% 232 21.62% 31 2.89% 578 53.87% 1,073
McHenry 1,678 61.87% 943 34.77% 91 3.36% 735 27.10% 2,712
McIntosh 1,035 67.65% 459 30.00% 36 2.35% 576 37.65% 1,530
McKenzie 2,458 71.23% 927 26.86% 66 1.91% 1,531 44.37% 3,451
McLean 3,141 63.61% 1,670 33.82% 127 2.57% 1,471 29.79% 4,938
Mercer 3,152 70.75% 1,166 26.17% 137 3.08% 1,986 44.58% 4,455
Morton 8,680 63.76% 4,469 32.83% 464 3.41% 4,211 30.93% 13,613
Mountrail 1,962 56.75% 1,403 40.58% 92 2.67% 559 16.17% 3,457
Nelson 865 51.55% 767 45.71% 46 2.74% 98 5.84% 1,678
Oliver 693 68.41% 281 27.74% 39 3.85% 412 40.67% 1,013
Pembina 1,899 58.34% 1,253 38.49% 103 3.17% 646 19.85% 3,255
Pierce 1,465 67.26% 660 30.30% 53 2.44% 805 36.96% 2,178
Ramsey 2,665 53.31% 2,164 43.29% 170 3.40% 501 10.02% 4,999
Ransom 1,009 41.61% 1,343 55.38% 73 3.01% -334 -13.77% 2,425
Renville 851 66.59% 398 31.14% 29 2.27% 453 35.45% 1,278
Richland 4,229 55.55% 3,198 42.01% 186 2.44% 1,031 13.54% 7,613
Rolette 1,092 23.99% 3,353 73.66% 107 2.35% -2,261 -49.67% 4,552
Sargent 879 43.80% 1,075 53.56% 53 2.64% -196 -9.76% 2,007
Sheridan 642 78.10% 163 19.83% 17 2.07% 479 58.27% 822
Sioux 225 19.67% 900 78.67% 19 1.66% -675 -59.00% 1,144
Slope 341 78.03% 83 18.99% 13 2.98% 258 59.04% 437
Stark 8,521 73.25% 2,812 24.17% 300 2.58% 5,709 49.08% 11,633
Steele 498 47.79% 518 49.71% 26 2.50% -20 -1.92% 1,042
Stutsman 5,685 59.48% 3,585 37.51% 288 3.01% 2,100 21.97% 9,558
Towner 623 52.71% 516 43.65% 43 3.64% 107 9.06% 1,182
Traill 1,996 50.91% 1,811 46.19% 114 2.90% 185 4.72% 3,921
Walsh 2,656 55.44% 1,985 41.43% 150 3.13% 671 14.01% 4,791
Ward 16,230 63.74% 8,441 33.15% 792 3.11% 7,789 30.59% 25,463
Wells 1,654 69.53% 673 28.29% 52 2.18% 981 41.24% 2,379
Williams 7,184 73.25% 2,322 23.67% 302 3.08% 4,862 49.58% 9,808
Totals 188,163 58.32% 124,827 38.69% 9,637 2.99% 63,336 19.63% 322,627
County Flips:
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

By congressional district

Due to the state's low population, only one congressional district is allocated. This district is an at-large district, because it covers the entire state, and thus is equivalent to the statewide election results.

District Romney Obama Representative
At-large 58.32% 38.7% Kevin Cramer

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "North Dakota Republican Delegation 2012". The Green Papers. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
  2. ^ Silver, Nate (March 4, 2012). "Romney Could Win Majority of Super Tuesday Delegates". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  3. ^ Wetzel, Dale (April 7, 2012). "Santorum delegate plan hits wall in North Dakota". WTOP-FM. Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2012.
  4. ^ "NDGOP Presidential Caucus Information". North Dakota Republican Party. Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  5. ^ "RealClearPolitics - Politics - Mar 31, 2012 - Unrest over ND GOP national convention delegates". www.realclearpolitics.com. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  6. ^ "Valley News Live / Mason-Dixon Poll #3 - Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks". www.valleynewslive.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012.
  7. ^ "Poll Watch: Forum Communications North Dakota 2012 Presidential Surve…". archive.ph. February 1, 2013. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  8. ^ a b "Election 2012: North Dakota President". www.rasmussenreports.com.
  9. ^ "Poll - Valley News Live - KVLY/KXJB - Fargo/Grand Forks". www.valleynewslive.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012.
  10. ^ "Primary Election Poll: House and President on KFYR-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader". www.kfyrtv.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012.
  11. ^ "Huffington Post Election Dashboard". HuffPost. Archived from the original on August 13, 2013.
  12. ^ "America's Choice 2012 Election Center: CNN Electoral Map". CNN. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013.
  13. ^ "Election 2012 - The Electoral Map: Building a Path to Victory". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012.
  14. ^ "2012 Presidential Election Results". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 26, 2012.
  15. ^ "RealClearPolitics - 2012 Election Maps - Battle for White House". Archived from the original on June 8, 2011.
  16. ^ "PROJECTION: OBAMA WILL LIKELY WIN SECOND TERM".
  17. ^ "Nate Silver's political calculations predict 2012 election outcome".
  18. ^ "North Dakota Secretary of State". Retrieved November 11, 2012.