2012 United States presidential election in Ohio

2012 United States presidential election in Ohio

← 2008 November 6, 2012 2016 →
Turnout	70.54%[1]
Nominee Barack Obama Mitt Romney Party Democratic Republican Home state Illinois Massachusetts Running mate Joe Biden Paul Ryan Electoral vote 18 0 Popular vote 2,827,709 2,661,437 Percentage 50.67% 47.69%
County Results Congressional District results State Senate Results Obama   40-50%   50-60%   60-70%   80-90% Romney   40-50%   50-60%   60-70%   70-80%
President before election Barack Obama Democratic Elected President Barack Obama Democratic

Elections in Ohio
Federal government U.S. President 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 Dem 2004 Dem 2008 Dem Rep 2012 Rep 2016 Dem Rep 2020 Dem 2024 Rep U.S. Senate 1803 1807 1808 1808 (sp) 1809 (sp) 1810 (sp) 1812 1813 1814 (sp) 1815 1819 1821 1822 (sp) 1824 1827 1828 (sp) 1830 1833 1836 1837 1838 1842 1844 1849 1851 1854 1856 1860 1861 (sp) 1863 1866 1868 1872 1874 1877 (sp) 1880 1881 1884 1886 1890 1892 1896 1897 (sp) 1898 1902 1904 1904 (sp) 1909 1911 1914 1916 1920 1922 1926 1928 1928 (sp) 1930 (sp) 1932 1934 1938 1940 1944 1946 1946 (sp) 1950 1952 1954 (sp) 1956 1958 1962 1964 1968 1970 1974 1976 1980 1982 1986 1988 1992 1994 1998 2000 2004 2006 2010 2012 2016 2018 2022 2024 2026 (sp) 2028 U.S. House of Representatives 1803 1804 1806 1808 1810 1812 1813 sp: 3 sp: 6 1814 1816 sp: 1 1818 1820 1821 sp: 4 1822 1824 1826 sp: 10 1827 sp: 8 1828 sp: 6 1830 sp: 11 1832 1834 sp: 1 sp: 19 1836 1837 sp: 17 1838 sp: 16 sp: 19 1840 sp: 4 1842 sp: 16 1843 1844 sp: 10 sp: 21 1846 1847 sp: 7 1848 1849 sp: 6 1850 1851 sp: 6 1852 1854 1856 1858 1859 sp: 14 1860 1861 sp: 7 sp: 13 1862 1864 1866 1867 sp: 2 1868 sp: 8 1870 sp: 10 1872 sp: 1 1874 1876 1878 1880 sp: 19 1882 1883 sp: 16 sp: 17 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 sp: 16 1894 sp: 2 sp: 3 1896 1898 sp: 19 1899 sp: 16 1900 1902 1903 sp: 16 1904 sp: 19 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 sp: 14 1920 1922 1924 1926 1927 sp: 2 1928 1930 1931 sp: 1 sp: 20 1932 1934 1936 sp: 11 sp: AL 1938 1940 sp: 17 sp: 22 1942 1944 1946 1947 sp: 4 1948 1950 1951 sp: 3 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 sp: 6 1962 1964 1965 sp: 7 1966 1968 1970 sp: 19 1972 1974 sp: 1 1976 1978 1980 1981 sp: 4 1982 sp: 17 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1993 sp: 2 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2005 sp: 2 2006 2 2007 sp: 5 2008 sp: 11 2010 2012 2014 2016 sp: 8 2018 sp: 12 2020 2021 sp: 11 sp: 15 2022 2024 sp: 6
State government General elections 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 Gubernatorial elections 1803 1805 1807 1808 1810 1812 1814 1816 1818 1820 1822 1824 1826 1828 1830 1832 1834 1836 1838 1840 1842 1844 1846 1848 1850 1851 1853 1855 1857 1859 1861 1863 1865 1867 1869 1871 1873 1875 1877 1879 1881 1883 1885 1887 1889 1891 1893 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1905 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 2026 Complete list Lieutenant Governor elections Complete list Secretary of State elections 2022 Complete list Attorney General elections 2008 sp 2010 2014 2018 2022 Complete list State Auditor elections Complete list State Treasurer elections Complete list State Supreme Court elections Complete list State House elections 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 State Senate elections 2018 2020 2022 2024
Ballot measures 2004 Issue 1 2011 Issue 2 2018 Issue 1 2022 Issue 1 2023 August Issue 1 November Issue 1 Issue 2 2024 Issue 1
Akron Mayoral elections 2023
Cincinnati Mayoral elections 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 City Council elections List of elections
Cleveland Mayoral elections 1901 1933 1935 1937 1939 1941 1943 1945 1947 1949 1951 1953 1955 1957 1959 1961 1962 (special) 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977 1978 (recall) 1979 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 City Council elections 2021
Columbus Mayoral elections 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907 1909 1919 1911 1913 1915 1919 1923 1927 1931 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 City Council elections 2023
Cuyahoga County County executive elections 2010 2014 2018 2022 County Council elections 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
Toledo Mayoral elections 2013 2015 (special) 2017 2021
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2012 U.S. presidential election
Timeline General election debates Electors Polling nationwide statewide Parties
Democratic Party
Candidates Primaries Results Nominee Convention
Republican Party
Prelude Candidates Debates and forums Primaries National polling Statewide polling Straw polls Results Nominee VP candidate selection Convention Endorsements
Minor parties
Libertarian Party candidates primaries nominee convention Green Party primaries nominee convention Constitution Party nominee convention Justice Party nominee Americans Elect All candidates
Related races
House Senate Governors Vice President Democratic Republican
← 2008 2012 2016 →
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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.^[2][3] Obama's performance was a decline from 2008 when he won the state by a 4.58% margin over U.S. Senator John McCain, and he narrowly lost five counties that he won in 2008.^[4] 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 and greatly improved his losing margin in Ross County home to the state's 1st and 3rd capital Chillicothe, 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.

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 is also the last time the state voted for the winner of the national popular vote until 2024.