2012 president election popular votes
Executive summary
Barack Obama won re-election in 2012 with 332 electoral votes and a narrow popular-vote majority: roughly 51.1% of the vote (about 65.9 million votes) to Mitt Romney’s roughly 47.2% (about 60.1 million), a margin of about five million votes [1] [2] [3] [4]. Official federal summaries and archival sources list the Electoral College result as Obama 332, Romney 206, out of 538 total electoral votes [5] [6].
1. The headline numbers: what the official records say
Federal and archival records and major election databases report that Obama secured 332 electoral votes to Romney’s 206 and won a national popular vote margin of about five million votes — roughly 51.1% to 47.2% — with vote totals commonly cited as about 65.9 million for Obama [5] [1] [2] [3] [4]. The Federal Election Commission’s official post‑election publication compiles state totals used for these summaries [6] [7].
2. Where those popular-vote totals come from and their precision
The commonly quoted totals trace back to state canvasses compiled in Federal Election Commission and similar official reports; outlets such as Statista and election archives publish the resulting national sums [2] [6] [7]. Different secondary sources round percentages differently (e.g., 51.0% vs. 51.1%), so precise percentages can vary by a few tenths depending on rounding and whether third‑party/write‑in votes are included in the denominator [1] [2].
3. What the margin meant politically in 2012
A five‑million‑vote popular margin produced a clear, but not landslide, popular‑vote victory and a decisive Electoral College result (332–206). Analysts saw this as confirmation that Obama maintained the coalition that won in 2008 with only modest erosion in some Midwestern and Sun Belt states, while Romney’s path was blocked by Obama’s wins in key battlegrounds [8] [3].
4. How historians and reference sources frame the result
Reference works note that Obama’s 2012 win marked consecutive Democratic majorities in the popular vote for the first time since FDR’s run of victories, and that Obama set records for vote totals among reelected presidents prior to later cycles [9] [1]. Encyclopedias and academic summaries emphasize that while the Electoral College outcome was comfortable, the popular vote was “relatively small” in margin compared with the scale of the electorate [8] [4].
5. The role of third-party and minor candidates
Available federal reports show that third‑party and write‑in votes accounted for the remainder of the national total below 100%, but mainstream sources emphasize that the contest was effectively between the two major party nominees and that third‑party totals did not alter the winner [7] [6]. Specific third‑party totals and their statewide impacts are tabulated in the FEC reports [6] [7].
6. Caveats, data sources and rounding differences
Different outlets report slightly different percentages (e.g., “51.0%” vs. “51.1%”) because of rounding rules and which vote tallies (preliminary vs. certified) they cite; Statista cites about 65.9 million votes for Obama drawn from FEC figures, while encyclopedias and election sites summarize percentages and electoral totals from final certifications [2] [1] [6]. The FEC’s Federal Elections 2012 publication is the authoritative federal compilation [7].
7. Competing emphases in coverage and why they matter
Contemporaneous and retrospective coverage split emphasis: some sources underline the Electoral College cushion (332 votes) to frame a clear victory; others stress the relatively narrow popular‑vote margin to argue the race was competitive and instructive about turnout and coalitions [3] [8] [4]. These emphases reflect editorial choices and political narratives rather than contradictions in raw tallies.
8. Where to look next for granular breakdowns
For state‑by‑state and county breakdowns, the FEC report and detailed election atlases provide official certified totals and maps; archives such as the National Archives’ Electoral College pages and independent datasets compile the same base figures for deeper analysis [6] [5] [10]. Available sources do not mention any alternative official national popular‑vote totals that overturn these results.
Limitations: this summary relies exclusively on the provided sources and does not incorporate newer third‑party reconstructions or state‑level post‑certification amendments beyond those reported here [6] [7].