2012 United States presidential election in Illinois

← 2008 November 6, 2012 2016 →
Turnout	69.70%
Nominee Barack Obama Mitt Romney Party Democratic Republican Home state Illinois Massachusetts Running mate Joe Biden Paul Ryan Electoral vote 20 0 Popular vote 3,019,512 2,135,216 Percentage 57.60% 40.73%
County Results Obama   40-50%   50-60%   60-70%   70-80% Romney   40-50%   50-60%   60-70%   70-80%
President before election Barack Obama Democratic Elected President Barack Obama Democratic

Elections in Illinois
Federal government U.S. Presidential elections 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 2004 Dem 2008 Dem Rep 2012 Dem Rep 2016 Dem Rep 2020 Dem Rep U.S. Senate elections 1818 1819 1823 1824 1824 sp 1825 1830 sp 1831 1835 1837 1843 1846 1849 1849 sp 1853 1859 1861 1863 sp 1867 1879 1882 1885 1885 sp 1887 sp 1888 1890 1894 1896 1897 1901 1903 1907 1909 1913 1913 sp 1914 1918 1920 1924 1926 1928 sp 1930 1932 1936 1938 1940 sp 1942 1944 1948 1950 1954 1956 1960 1962 1966 1968 1970 sp 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2010 sp 2014 2016 2020 2022 2026 U.S. House elections 1818 1819 1820 1822 1824 1826 1828 1831 1832 1834 1836 1838 1840 1842 1844 1846 1848 1850 1852 1854 1856 1858 1859 6th sp 1860 1861 6th sp 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 1871 AL sp 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1895 10th sp 18th sp 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 4th sp 1920 1922 AL sp 1923 2nd sp 4th sp 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 19th sp 1946 1948 1950 1952 1953 7th sp 1954 1956 1957 7th sp 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1969 13th sp 1970 6th sp 1972 15th sp 1973 7th sp 1974 1975 5th sp 1976 1978 1980 10th sp 1982 1983 1st sp 1984 1985 14th sp 1986 1988 21st sp 1990 1991 15th sp 1992 1994 1995 2nd sp 1996 1998 2000 1st 2002 2004 2006 2008 14th sp 2009 5th sp 2010 17th 2012 2013 2nd sp 2014 2015 18th sp 2016 2018 2020 2022
State government General elections 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1969 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 Gubernatorial elections 1818 1822 1826 1830 1834 1838 1842 1846 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 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 Lieutenant Gubernatorial elections 1818 1822 1826 1830 1834 1838 1842 1846 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 Attorney General elections 2018 2022 Secretary of State elections 2022 Comptroller elections 2016 Senate elections 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 House of Representatives elections 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 Judicial elections 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Ballot measures and referendums State capitol referendum (1834) Cutback Amendment (1980) Crime Victim Rights Amendment (1992) Illinois Governor Recall Amendment (2010) Public Pension Amendment (2012) Marsy's Law (2014) Right to Vote Amendment (2014) Transportation Taxes and Fees Lockbox Amendment (2016) Fair Tax (2020)
Chicago General elections 2019 2023 Mayoral elections 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1865 1867 1869 1871 1873 1876 1877 1879 1881 1883 1885 1887 1889 1891 1893 1893 sp 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907 1911 1915 1919 1923 1927 1931 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1977 sp 1979 1983 1987 1989 sp 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 Aldermanic elections 1923 1925 1927 1929 2015 2019 2023
Cicero Municipal elections 1924
Cook County County elections 1946 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
v t e

2012 U.S. presidential election
Timeline General election debates Electors Polling nationwide statewide Parties
Democratic Party
Candidates Primaries Nominee Convention
Republican Party
Prelude Candidates Debates and forums Primaries National polling Statewide polling Straw 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 →
v t e

The 2012 United States presidential election in Illinois 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. Illinois voters chose 20 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. The Obama/Biden ticket won Illinois with 57.60% of the popular vote to Romney/Ryan's 40.73%, thus winning the state's twenty electoral votes by a margin of 16.87%.^[1]

Obama's victory continued a Democratic winning streak in the state — with the Democratic candidate having carried Illinois through the six consecutive elections. However, despite Obama's win in 2008 and popularity in the state due to being its former U.S. Senator, his performance significantly worsened, with his margin of victory decreasing from 25.14% to 16.87% and losing 23 counties to Romney that he had won four years prior. Obama further became the first ever Democrat to win the White House without carrying Gallatin or Macoupin Counties, as well as the first since Woodrow Wilson in 1916 to win the White House without carrying Madison County, the first since John F. Kennedy in 1960 to do so without carrying Calhoun, Cass, Macon, Mason, Montgomery, or Pulaski Counties, and the first since Jimmy Carter in 1976 to do so without carrying Bureau, Coles, Kankakee, LaSalle, McDonough, Schuyler, or Vermillion Counties.

Election information

The primaries and general elections coincided with those for congress and those for state offices.

Background

Illinois had voted Democratic in the previous five presidential elections. The last Republican ticket to win Illinois in a presidential election was that of George H. W. Bush and Dan Quayle in 1988.

Illinois was the home state of the incumbent president, Barack Obama, who was seeking reelection.

Turnout

For the state-run primaries (Democratic and Republican), turnout was 21.72%, with 1,586,171 votes cast.^[2][3] For the general election, turnout was 69.70%, with 5,242,014 votes cast.^[2][3]

Democratic primary

2012 Illinois Democratic presidential primary

← 2008 March 20, 2012 (2012-03-20) 2016 →
212 Democratic National Convention delegates (189 pledged, 26 unpledged) The number of pledged delegates won is determined by the popular vote
Candidate Barack Obama Home state Illinois Delegate count 189 Popular vote 652,583 Percentage 99.98%
Barack Obama

The 2012 Illinois Democratic presidential primary was held on March 20, 2012 in the U.S. state of Illinois as one of the Republican Party's state primaries ahead of the 2012 presidential election. Incumbent president Barack Obama won the primary. Obama was running for reelection without a major opponent.

Obama won all 189 of the state's bound delegates (the state also had 26 superdelegates).^[4]

Republican primary

2012 Illinois Republican presidential primary

← 2008 March 20, 2012 (2012-03-20) 2016 →

Candidate Mitt Romney Rick Santorum Home state Massachusetts Pennsylvania Delegate count 42 12 Popular vote 435,859 326,778 Percentage 46.69% 35.01%   Candidate Ron Paul Newt Gingrich Home state Texas Georgia Delegate count 0 0 Popular vote 87,044 74,482 Percentage 9.32% 7.98%

Illinois results by county   Mitt Romney   Rick Santorum

The 2012 Illinois Republican presidential primary was held on March 20, 2012 in the U.S. state of Illinois as one of the Republican Party's state primaries ahead of the 2012 presidential election.^[5][6]

2012 Illinois Republican presidential primary^[7]

Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Projected delegate count
			NYT	CNN [8]	FOX
Mitt Romney	435,859	46.69%	42	41	42
Rick Santorum	326,778	35.01%	12	10	12
Ron Paul	87,044	9.32%	0	0	0
Newt Gingrich	74,482	7.98%	0	0	0
Rick Perry (withdrawn)	5,568	0.60%	0	0	0
Buddy Roemer (withdrawn)	3,723	0.40%	0	0	0
Unprojected delegates:			0	3	0
Total:	933,454	100.00%	54	54	54

Green primary

2012 Illinois Green Party convention

← 2008 February 24, 2012 (2012-02-24) 2016 →
31 Green National Convention delegates
Candidate Jill Stein Roseanne Barr Kent Mesplay Party Green Green Green Home state Massachusetts Hawaii California Delegate count 22 2 2 Popular vote 109 27 8 Percentage 71.24% 17.65% 5.23%

The 2012 Illinois Green Party Convention was held on February 24, and saw a binding presidential preference vote cast, awarding delegates, as part of the Green Party's state primaries ahead of the 2012 presidential election.^[9]

Unlike the primaries for the major parties, this primary was run by the Green Party of Illinois itself, rather than by the state.

General election

While Obama only won 23% of the counties in Illinois, most of the counties he won were heavily populated. His 17-point victory can be largely attributed to his performance in Cook County, which encompasses the Chicago Metropolitan Area. He also won the once Republican favored collar counties (DuPage, Will and Lake). He also performed well in the East St. Louis area.

Owing to Obama's strength as a hometown candidate, and due to the nationwide rural strength of successor Donald Trump during both his 2016 and 2020 runs, Obama remains the last Democrat as of 2020 to win Alexander County, Carroll County, Fulton County, Henderson County, Henry County, Jo Daviess County, Knox County, Mercer County, Putnam County, Warren County, and Whiteside County.

Results by county

^[11]

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Boone (largest city: Belvidere)
• Bureau (largest city: Princeton)
• Calhoun (largest village: Hardin)
• Cass (largest city: Beardstown)
• Coles (largest city: Charleston)
• Gallatin (largest city: Shawneetown)
• Grundy (largest city: Morris)
• Kankakee (largest city: Kankakee)
• Kendall (largest village: Oswego)
• LaSalle (largest city: Ottawa)
• Macon (largest city: Decatur)
• Mason (largest city: Havana)
• Macoupin (largest city: Carlinville)
• Madison (largest city: Granite City)
• McDonough (largest city: Macomb)
• McHenry (largest city: Crystal Lake)
• McLean (largest city: Bloomington)
• Montgomery (largest city: Litchfield)
• Pulaski (largest city: Mounds)
• Sangamon (largest city: Springfield)
• Schuyler (largest city: Rushville)
• Stephenson (largest city: Freeport)
• Vermilion (largest city: Danville)