As in 2008, the key to Obama's victory was Democratic dominance in the Denver area, sweeping not just the city but also the heavily populated suburban counties around Denver, particularly Adams, Arapahoe, and Jefferson counties; as well as winning Larimer County, home to Fort Collins. Obama also took nearly 70% of the vote in Boulder County, home to Boulder; and won Chaffee County, which he had lost to McCain in 2008. Romney's most populated county wins were in El Paso County, where Colorado Springs is located; and Weld County, a suburb of Denver and home to Greeley.
This election solidified Colorado's transformation from a historically Republican-leaning state into a Democratic-leaning swing state. Obama's 2012 victory in the state, on the heels of his 2008 victory, marked the first time that the Democrats had carried Colorado in two consecutive elections since the landslide re-election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936, the first time that the state had voted Democratic in a close election since 1948, and the first time since 1964 that a sitting Democratic president carried Colorado.
Colorado served as the tipping-point state for Obama's overall victory in the presidential election; that is, the first state to give a candidate their 270th electoral vote when all states are arranged by their margins of victory. Colorado was also the tipping-point state for Obama's 2008 victory. This marks the second time in history that a president was elected and re-elected by winning the same tipping-point state, after Richard Nixon was carried to victory by Ohio twice in 1968 and 1972.
As of 2020, this remains the most recent occasion in which rural Conejos County, Huerfano County, and Las Animas County have voted for the Democratic candidate. This is also the last time that Colorado voted to the right of Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nevada, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania (by 0.02%), that Colorado was the tipping point state in a presidential election, and that the tipping point state voted to the left of the popular vote.
The Republican caucuses were held on "Republican Party Precinct Caucus Day" (February 7, 2012).[3] Caucus locations opened on 9 PM, February 7, 2012,[4] with 36 delegates at stake; 33 of which are tied to the caucuses while 3 are unpledged RNC delegates.[5] The event occurred alongside the Minnesota Republican caucuses as well the Missouri Republican primary. The race was widely expected to be won by Mitt Romney even on the day of the caucus, but a strong surge by Rick Santorum across all three races that day carried him to a close victory.
There is no formal system of allocating delegates to candidates in any step of the election process. At each meeting the participants decides what the best course of action is. None of the 36 delegates are legally bound to vote for a candidate.[citation needed]
12–13 April: Seven congressional conventions elects 3 National Convention delegates each and also elects delegates for the state convention.
14 April: State convention elects 12 National Convention delegates.
On the campaign trail, President Obama watches as graduates toss their hats during the United States Air Force Academy commencement ceremony at Falcon Stadium, USAF Academy in Colorado Springs, May 23, 2012.
Virgil Goode/Jim Clymer, Constitution
Barack Obama/Joseph Biden, Democratic
Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan, Republican
Gary Johnson/James P. Gray, Libertarian
Jill Stein/Cheri Honkala, Green
Stewart Alexander/Alex Mendoza, Socialist
Rocky Anderson/Luis J. Rodriguez, Justice
Roseanne Barr/Cindy Shehan, Peace and Freedom
James Harris/Alyson Kennedy, Socialist Workers
Tom Hoefling/J.D. Ellis, America's
Gloria La Riva/Filberto Ramirez Jr., Socialism and Liberation
Merlin Miller/Harry V. Bertram, American Third Position
Jill Reed/Tom Cary, Twelve Visions Party
Thomas Robert Stevens/Alden Link, Objectivist
Shella "Samm" Tittle/Matthew A. Turner, We the People
Incumbent Barack Obama started off with a wide lead in polls ranging from 1 to 13 points, which continued throughout the early summer of 2012. On August 6, Romney won his first poll, 50% to 45%. Throughout the rest of the summer, and September, with the exception of a few points, Obama won almost every poll but narrowly. In October, Romney gained momentum and the race throughout October was essentially tied, with neither candidate taking a significant lead. The last week before the election, Obama gained momentum and won each of the 4 pre-election polls. The average of the last 3 pre-election polls showed Obama leading Romney 49.7% to 46.3%.[12] The final pre-election poll showed Obama leading Romney 52% to 46%, which was accurate compared to the results. Washington Post rated this race "Toss-Up."[13][14]
Results
2012 United States presidential election in Colorado
^Bartels, Lynn (14 April 2012). "Colorado Republicans split delegate votes between Romney, unified Paul and Santorum supporters". denverpost.com. Denver Post. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
^"2012 - Colorado: Romney vs. Obama | RealClearPolitics".
^"Pundit accountability: The official 2012 election prediction thread - The Washington Post". The Washington Post.
^"2012 - Colorado: Romney vs. Obama | RealClearPolitics".
^"Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts".
The Green Papers: Major state elections in chronological order
March 12, 2023
2012, united, states, presidential, election, colorado, main, article, 2012, united, states, presidential, election, took, place, november, 2012, part, 2012, united, states, presidential, election, which, states, plus, district, columbia, participated, colorad. Main article 2012 United States presidential election The 2012 United States presidential election in Colorado 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 Colorado voters chose nine 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 Obama and Biden carried Colorado with 51 49 of the popular vote to Romney s and Ryan s 46 13 thus winning the state s nine electoral votes by a 5 36 margin 2 2012 United States presidential election in Colorado 2008 November 6 2012 2016 Turnout71 17 1 Nominee Barack Obama Mitt RomneyParty Democratic RepublicanHome state Illinois MassachusettsRunning mate Joe Biden Paul RyanElectoral vote 9 0Popular vote 1 323 101 1 185 243Percentage 51 49 46 13 County Results Obama 40 50 50 60 60 70 70 80 Romney 50 60 60 70 70 80 80 90 President before electionBarack ObamaDemocratic Elected President Barack ObamaDemocraticAs in 2008 the key to Obama s victory was Democratic dominance in the Denver area sweeping not just the city but also the heavily populated suburban counties around Denver particularly Adams Arapahoe and Jefferson counties as well as winning Larimer County home to Fort Collins Obama also took nearly 70 of the vote in Boulder County home to Boulder and won Chaffee County which he had lost to McCain in 2008 Romney s most populated county wins were in El Paso County where Colorado Springs is located and Weld County a suburb of Denver and home to Greeley This election solidified Colorado s transformation from a historically Republican leaning state into a Democratic leaning swing state Obama s 2012 victory in the state on the heels of his 2008 victory marked the first time that the Democrats had carried Colorado in two consecutive elections since the landslide re election of Franklin D Roosevelt in 1936 the first time that the state had voted Democratic in a close election since 1948 and the first time since 1964 that a sitting Democratic president carried Colorado Colorado served as the tipping point state for Obama s overall victory in the presidential election that is the first state to give a candidate their 270th electoral vote when all states are arranged by their margins of victory Colorado was also the tipping point state for Obama s 2008 victory This marks the second time in history that a president was elected and re elected by winning the same tipping point state after Richard Nixon was carried to victory by Ohio twice in 1968 and 1972 As of 2020 this remains the most recent occasion in which rural Conejos County Huerfano County and Las Animas County have voted for the Democratic candidate This is also the last time that Colorado voted to the right of Michigan Minnesota Wisconsin Nevada Iowa New Hampshire and Pennsylvania by 0 02 that Colorado was the tipping point state in a presidential election and that the tipping point state voted to the left of the popular vote Contents 1 Caucuses 1 1 Democratic 1 2 Republican 1 2 1 Conventions 2 General election 2 1 Ballot access 2 2 Polling 2 3 Results 2 4 By county 2 4 1 Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic 2 5 By congressional district 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksCaucuses EditDemocratic Edit Incumbent President Barack Obama ran unopposed in the Colorado Democratic caucus Republican Edit 2012 Colorado Republican caucuses 2008 February 7 2012 2012 02 07 2016 Candidate Rick Santorum Mitt RomneyHome state Pennsylvania MassachusettsDelegate count 6 14Popular vote 26 614 23 012Percentage 40 3 34 9 Candidate Newt Gingrich Ron PaulHome state Georgia TexasDelegate count 0 4Popular vote 8 445 7 759Percentage 12 8 11 8 Colorado results by county Rick Santorum Mitt Romney Newt Gingrich TieThe Republican caucuses were held on Republican Party Precinct Caucus Day February 7 2012 3 Caucus locations opened on 9 PM February 7 2012 4 with 36 delegates at stake 33 of which are tied to the caucuses while 3 are unpledged RNC delegates 5 The event occurred alongside the Minnesota Republican caucuses as well the Missouri Republican primary The race was widely expected to be won by Mitt Romney even on the day of the caucus but a strong surge by Rick Santorum across all three races that day carried him to a close victory Colorado Republican caucus February 7 2012 6 Candidate Votes Percentage Projected delegate count Convention Results 7 8 MSNBC 9 GP 10 Rick Santorum 26 614 40 31 6 6 6Mitt Romney 23 012 34 85 13 14 13Newt Gingrich 8 445 12 79 0 0 0Ron Paul 7 759 11 75 3 0 0Rick Perry 52 0 08 0 0 0Jon Huntsman 46 0 07 0 0 0Michele Bachmann 28 0 04 0 0 0Others 71 0 11 0 0 0Unprojected delegates 14 0 0Unpledged delegates 0 16 17Totals 66 027 100 00 36 36 36Key Withdrewprior to contestConventions Edit There is no formal system of allocating delegates to candidates in any step of the election process At each meeting the participants decides what the best course of action is None of the 36 delegates are legally bound to vote for a candidate citation needed 12 13 April Seven congressional conventions elects 3 National Convention delegates each and also elects delegates for the state convention 14 April State convention elects 12 National Convention delegates Convention Results 7 11 Candidate 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th State Party leaders TotalUncommitted 2 2 2 2 0 1 1 4 3 17Mitt Romney 0 0 1 0 1 2 1 8 0 13Rick Santorum 1 1 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 6Total 21 12 3 36General election EditBallot access Edit On the campaign trail President Obama watches as graduates toss their hats during the United States Air Force Academy commencement ceremony at Falcon Stadium USAF Academy in Colorado Springs May 23 2012 Virgil Goode Jim Clymer Constitution Barack Obama Joseph Biden Democratic Mitt Romney Paul Ryan Republican Gary Johnson James P Gray Libertarian Jill Stein Cheri Honkala Green Stewart Alexander Alex Mendoza Socialist Rocky Anderson Luis J Rodriguez Justice Roseanne Barr Cindy Shehan Peace and Freedom James Harris Alyson Kennedy Socialist Workers Tom Hoefling J D Ellis America s Gloria La Riva Filberto Ramirez Jr Socialism and Liberation Merlin Miller Harry V Bertram American Third Position Jill Reed Tom Cary Twelve Visions Party Thomas Robert Stevens Alden Link Objectivist Shella Samm Tittle Matthew A Turner We the People Jerry White Phyllis Scherrer Socialist EqualityPolling Edit See also Statewide opinion polling for the 2012 United States presidential election Colorado Incumbent Barack Obama started off with a wide lead in polls ranging from 1 to 13 points which continued throughout the early summer of 2012 On August 6 Romney won his first poll 50 to 45 Throughout the rest of the summer and September with the exception of a few points Obama won almost every poll but narrowly In October Romney gained momentum and the race throughout October was essentially tied with neither candidate taking a significant lead The last week before the election Obama gained momentum and won each of the 4 pre election polls The average of the last 3 pre election polls showed Obama leading Romney 49 7 to 46 3 12 The final pre election poll showed Obama leading Romney 52 to 46 which was accurate compared to the results Washington Post rated this race Toss Up 13 14 Results Edit 2012 United States presidential election in ColoradoParty Candidate Running mate Votes Percentage Electoral votesDemocratic Barack Obama incumbent Joe Biden incumbent 1 323 101 51 49 9Republican Mitt Romney Paul Ryan 1 185 243 46 13 0Libertarian Gary Johnson Jim Gray 35 545 1 38 0Green Jill Stein Cheri Honkala 7 508 0 29 0Constitution Virgil Goode Jim Clymer 6 234 0 24 0Peace amp Freedom Roseanne Barr Cindy Sheehan 5 059 0 20 0Unaffiliated Jill Ann Reed Tom Cary 2 589 0 10 0Justice Rocky Anderson Luis J Rodriguez 1 260 0 05 0Others Others 1 028 0 04 0America s Party Thomas Hoefling Jonathan D Ellis 679 0 03 0Socialism and Liberation Gloria La Riva Filberto Ramirez Jr 317 0 01 0Socialist Stewart Alexander Alex Mendoza 308 0 01 0American Third Position Merlin Miller Harry Bertram 266 0 01 0Socialist Workers James Harris Alyson Kennedy 192 0 01 0Socialist Equality Jerry White Phyllis Scherrer 189 0 01 0Totals 2 569 518 100 00 9By county Edit County Obama Obama Romney Romney Others Others TotalAdams 57 30 100 649 40 40 70 972 02 30 4 039 175 660Alamosa 57 03 3 811 40 48 2 705 02 50 167 6 683Arapahoe 54 03 153 905 44 09 125 588 01 88 5 368 284 861Archuleta 39 92 2 679 57 70 3 872 02 38 160 6 711Baca 22 38 467 74 70 1 559 02 92 61 2 087Bent 42 16 815 55 61 1 075 02 22 43 1 933Boulder 69 79 125 091 27 89 49 981 02 32 4 165 179 237Broomfield 51 88 16 966 45 90 15 008 02 22 726 32 700Chaffee 48 77 5 086 48 62 5 070 02 61 272 10 428Cheyenne 15 82 172 81 78 889 02 39 26 1 087Clear Creek 54 44 3 119 42 42 2 430 03 14 180 5 729Conejos 54 11 2 213 44 87 1 835 01 03 42 4 090Costilla 73 67 1 340 24 52 446 01 81 33 1 819Crowley 35 81 535 61 85 924 02 34 35 1 494Custer 32 08 868 66 08 1 788 01 85 50 2 706Delta 29 13 4 622 68 79 10 915 02 07 329 15 866Denver 73 69 222 018 24 27 73 111 02 04 6 158 301 287Dolores 26 98 334 69 39 859 03 63 45 1 238Douglas 36 40 61 094 62 20 104 397 01 40 2 357 167 848Eagle 56 49 12 792 41 56 9 411 01 95 441 22 644El Paso 38 64 111 819 59 08 170 952 02 28 6 585 289 356Elbert 25 49 3 603 72 63 10 266 01 88 266 14 135Fremont 32 98 6 704 64 81 13 174 02 21 449 20 327Garfield 46 42 11 305 51 47 12 535 02 11 513 24 353Gilpin 56 82 1 892 40 42 1 346 02 76 92 3 330Grand 45 14 3 684 52 11 4 253 02 74 224 8 161Gunnison 58 35 5 044 38 65 3 341 03 00 259 8 644Hinsdale 38 42 229 59 23 353 02 35 14 596Huerfano 52 78 1 953 44 49 1 646 02 73 101 3 700Jackson 25 62 216 71 17 600 03 20 27 843Jefferson 51 31 159 296 46 45 144 197 02 23 6 937 310 430Kiowa 14 43 118 82 76 677 02 81 23 818Kit Carson 22 72 838 75 49 2 785 01 79 66 3 689La Plata 53 18 15 489 43 92 12 794 02 90 845 29 128Lake 60 81 1 839 36 31 1 098 02 88 87 3 024Larimer 51 61 92 747 45 84 82 376 02 55 4 584 179 707Las Animas 50 32 3 445 47 66 3 263 02 02 138 6 846Lincoln 24 23 552 74 06 1 687 01 71 39 2 278Logan 29 87 2 712 68 06 6 179 02 07 188 9 079Mesa 32 78 23 846 65 25 47 472 01 97 1 432 72 750Mineral 44 84 291 53 00 344 02 16 14 649Moffat 21 65 1 330 76 43 4 695 01 92 118 6 143Montezuma 36 97 4 542 60 24 7 401 02 78 342 12 285Montrose 30 61 6 138 67 58 13 552 01 82 364 20 054Morgan 36 47 3 912 61 55 6 602 01 98 212 10 726Otero 44 73 3 647 53 74 4 382 01 53 125 8 154Ouray 51 58 1 646 46 41 1 481 02 01 64 3 191Park 41 46 3 862 56 20 5 236 02 34 218 9 316Phillips 26 01 588 72 40 1 637 01 59 36 2 261Pitkin 68 03 6 849 30 04 3 024 01 94 195 10 068Prowers 31 32 1 519 66 60 3 230 02 08 101 4 850Pueblo 56 02 42 551 41 99 31 894 01 98 1 506 75 951Rio Blanco 16 94 568 81 22 2 724 01 85 62 3 354Rio Grande 45 00 2 478 52 99 2 918 02 02 111 5 507Routt 56 75 7 547 41 13 5 469 02 12 282 13 298Saguache 63 83 1 865 32 99 964 03 18 93 2 922San Juan 52 88 266 42 15 212 04 97 25 503San Miguel 70 50 2 992 27 19 1 154 02 31 98 4 244Sedgwick 31 46 419 66 14 881 02 40 32 1 332Summit 61 14 9 347 36 44 5 571 02 41 369 15 287Teller 32 42 4 333 65 12 8 702 02 46 329 13 364Washington 18 13 468 80 43 2 076 01 43 37 2 581Weld 42 51 49 050 55 27 63 775 02 22 2 558 115 383Yuma 21 65 987 76 55 3 490 01 80 82 4 559Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Edit Chaffee largest city Salida By congressional district Edit Obama won 4 of 7 congressional districts including one held by a Republican 15 District Romney Obama Representative1st 28 83 69 Diana DeGette2nd 39 51 57 92 Jared Polis3rd 51 8 45 77 Scott Tipton4th 58 5 39 22 Ken Buck5th 59 12 38 3 Doug Lamborn6th 46 5 51 56 Mike Coffman7th 41 26 56 09 Ed PerlmutterSee also Edit2012 Republican Party presidential primaries 2012 Republican Party presidential debates and forums Results of the 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries Colorado Republican PartyReferences Edit Election Results 2012 PDF sos state co us Retrieved 14 July 2020 2012 General Election Colorado Department of State Retrieved 22 November 2012 Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2011 11 10 Retrieved 2011 08 16 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Colorado GOP moves up 2012 caucuses to Feb 7 Denver Post Associated Press September 24 2011 Retrieved October 3 2011 Republican Delegate Allocation The Green Papers Retrieved 2011 12 03 2012 Colorado GOP Presidential Caucus Results Colorado Republican Party Archived from the original on 2012 02 10 Retrieved 2012 02 09 a b National Delegate Results cologop org Colorado Republican Party Retrieved 23 April 2012 The Republic CO GOP Assembly Archived 2012 04 18 at the Wayback Machine April 22 2012 Republican Caucuses May 7 2012 MSNBC Republican Caucus Bartels Lynn 14 April 2012 Colorado Republicans split delegate votes between Romney unified Paul and Santorum supporters denverpost com Denver Post Retrieved 23 April 2012 2012 Colorado Romney vs Obama RealClearPolitics Pundit accountability The official 2012 election prediction thread The Washington Post The Washington Post 2012 Colorado Romney vs Obama RealClearPolitics Daily Kos Elections statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts External links EditOfficial website of the Colorado Republican Party The Green Papers for Colorado The Green Papers Major state elections in chronological order Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2012 United States presidential election in Colorado amp oldid 1142936077, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
