2012 United States presidential election in Mississippi
← 2008 November 6, 2012 2016 →
 
Nominee Mitt Romney Barack Obama
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Massachusetts Illinois
Running mate Paul Ryan Joe Biden
Electoral vote 6 0
Popular vote 710,746 562,949
Percentage 55.29% 43.79%
County Results
President before election

Barack Obama
Democratic

Elected President

Barack Obama
Democratic

The 2012 United States presidential election in Mississippi took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 general election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. Mississippi voters chose six 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.

Romney and Ryan won Mississippi with 55.29% of the popular vote to Obama and Biden's 43.79%, thus winning the state's six electoral votes by an 11.50% margin.[1] Mississippi was one of just six states where Obama improved on his 2008 performance. According to exit polls, the black vote share in Mississippi increased from 33% in 2008 to 36% in 2012, likely explaining Obama's gains.[2] This was the strongest showing for a Democratic presidential candidate in Mississippi since native Southerner Bill Clinton's 44.08% in 1996. Obama carried Warren County, becoming the first Democrat to do so since John F. Kennedy in 1960.[3] He also managed to flip Benton County and improved his margins in Democratic counties throughout the state. As of the 2020 presidential election, this was the last time a Democratic presidential candidate has carried Benton, Chickasaw, and Panola counties. Obama's 562,949 votes is the highest total received by a Democratic presidential candidate in the state's history.

Primary elections

Democratic primary

Incumbent President Obama ran unopposed in the Mississippi primary and therefore received 100% of the vote.[4]

Republican primary

Mississippi Republican primary, 2012
← 2008 March 13, 2012 (2012-03-13) 2016 →
 
Candidate Rick Santorum Newt Gingrich Mitt Romney
Home state Pennsylvania Georgia Massachusetts
Delegate count 13 12 12
Popular vote 96,258 91,612 90,161
Percentage 32.73% 31.15% 30.66%
Mississippi results by county
  Rick Santorum
  Newt Gingrich
  Mitt Romney
  Tie
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2012 U.S. presidential election
Democratic Party
Republican Party
Minor parties
Related races
← 2008 2012 2016 →

The Republican primary took place on March 13, 2012, the same day as the Alabama Republican primary and the Hawaii Republican caucuses.[5][6] After the open election, 37 bound delegates and three unbound delegates will go to the Republican National Convention.[7]

Mississippi Republican primary, 2012[8][9]
Candidate Votes Percentage Delegates
Rick Santorum 96,258 32.73% 13
Newt Gingrich 91,612 31.15% 12
Mitt Romney 90,161 30.66% 14
Ron Paul 12,955 4.40% 0
Rick Perry 1,350 0.46% 0
Michele Bachmann 971 0.33% 0
Jon Huntsman, Jr. 413 0.14% 0
Gary Johnson 392 0.13% 0
Unprojected delegates: 3
Total: 294,112 100% 40

General election

Results

2012 United States presidential election in Mississippi
Party Candidate Running mate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican Mitt Romney Paul Ryan 710,746 55.29% 6
Democratic Barack Obama Joe Biden 562,949 43.79% 0
Libertarian Gary Johnson Jim Gray 6,676 0.52% 0
Constitution Virgil Goode Jim Clymer 2,609 0.20% 0
Green Jill Stein Cheri Honkala 1,588 0.12% 0
Reform Barbara Dale Washer Cathy L. Toole 1,016 0.08% 0
Totals 1,285,584 100.00% 6

By county

County Mitt Romney
Republican 		Barack Obama
Democratic 		Various candidates
Other parties 		Margin Total
# % # % # % # %
Adams 6,293 40.74% 9,061 58.66% 93 0.60% -2,768 -17.92% 15,447
Alcorn 11,111 74.92% 3,511 23.67% 208 1.41% 7,600 51.25% 14,830
Amite 4,414 57.28% 3,242 42.07% 50 0.65% 1,172 15.21% 7,706
Attala 5,126 56.38% 3,927 43.19% 39 0.43% 1,199 13.19% 9,092
Benton 2,041 49.59% 2,051 49.83% 24 0.58% -10 -0.24% 4,116
Bolivar 4,701 30.47% 10,582 68.59% 145 0.94% -5,881 -38.12% 15,428
Calhoun 4,412 62.42% 2,586 36.59% 70 0.99% 1,826 25.83% 7,068
Carroll 3,960 66.09% 2,007 33.49% 25 0.42% 1,953 32.60% 5,992
Chickasaw 3,994 46.97% 4,378 51.49% 131 1.54% -384 -4.52% 8,503
Choctaw 2,812 65.81% 1,428 33.42% 33 0.77% 1,384 32.39% 4,273
Claiborne 625 11.40% 4,838 88.22% 21 0.38% -4,213 -76.82% 5,484
Clarke 5,049 61.18% 3,111 37.70% 93 1.12% 1,938 23.48% 8,253
Clay 4,291 38.76% 6,712 60.62% 69 0.62% -2,421 -21.86% 11,072
Coahoma 2,712 25.71% 7,792 73.86% 45 0.43% -5,080 -48.15% 10,549
Copiah 6,282 44.48% 7,749 54.87% 92 0.65% -1,467 -10.39% 14,123
Covington 5,405 57.82% 3,878 41.48% 65 0.70% 1,527 16.34% 9,348
DeSoto 43,559 66.21% 21,575 32.79% 660 1.00% 21,984 33.42% 65,794
Forrest 16,574 54.82% 13,272 43.89% 390 1.29% 3,302 10.93% 30,236
Franklin 2,735 60.87% 1,726 38.42% 32 0.71% 1,009 22.45% 4,493
George 8,376 84.98% 1,359 13.79% 121 1.23% 7,017 71.19% 9,856
Greene 4,531 76.51% 1,325 22.37% 66 1.12% 3,206 54.14% 5,922
Grenada 5,986 52.81% 5,288 46.65% 61 0.54% 698 6.16% 11,335
Hancock 12,964 75.52% 3,917 22.82% 286 1.66% 9,047 52.70% 17,167
Harrison 39,470 62.33% 23,119 36.51% 739 1.16% 16,351 25.82% 63,328
Hinds 29,664 27.86% 76,112 71.47% 715 0.67% -46,448 -43.61% 106,491
Holmes 1,435 15.45% 7,812 84.11% 41 0.44% -6,377 -68.66% 9,288
Humphreys 1,293 24.81% 3,903 74.88% 16 0.31% -2,610 -50.07% 5,212
Issaquena 302 38.37% 479 60.86% 6 0.77% -177 -22.49% 787
Itawamba 7,393 79.34% 1,706 18.31% 219 2.35% 5,687 61.03% 9,318
Jackson 35,747 66.62% 17,299 32.24% 609 1.14% 18,448 34.38% 53,655
Jasper 4,193 44.89% 5,097 54.57% 50 0.54% -904 -9.68% 9,340
Jefferson 468 10.56% 3,951 89.13% 14 0.31% -3,483 -78.57% 4,433
Jefferson Davis 2,507 36.52% 4,267 62.16% 90 1.32% -1,760 -25.64% 6,864
Jones 20,687 68.59% 9,211 30.54% 261 0.87% 11,476 38.05% 30,159
Kemper 1,789 35.41% 3,239 64.11% 24 0.48% -1,450 -28.70% 5,052
Lafayette 11,075 56.78% 8,091 41.48% 339 1.74% 2,984 15.30% 19,505
Lamar 19,101 76.74% 5,494 22.07% 294 1.19% 13,607 54.67% 24,889
Lauderdale 18,700 57.05% 13,814 42.15% 263 0.80% 4,886 14.90% 32,777
Lawrence 4,192 62.59% 2,468 36.85% 38 0.56% 1,724 25.74% 6,698
Leake 4,863 54.14% 4,079 45.41% 41 0.45% 784 8.73% 8,983
Lee 22,415 63.49% 12,563 35.58% 328 0.93% 9,852 27.91% 35,306
Leflore 3,587 28.08% 9,119 71.39% 67 0.53% -5,532 -43.31% 12,773
Lincoln 10,839 66.04% 5,471 33.33% 104 0.63% 5,368 32.71% 16,414
Lowndes 13,518 49.78% 13,388 49.30% 252 0.92% 130 0.48% 27,158
Madison 28,507 57.51% 20,722 41.80% 342 0.69% 7,785 15.71% 49,571
Marion 8,237 64.71% 4,393 34.51% 99 0.78% 3,844 30.20% 12,729
Marshall 6,473 39.86% 9,650 59.42% 117 0.72% -3,177 -19.56% 16,240
Monroe 9,723 57.47% 7,056 41.71% 139 0.82% 2,667 15.76% 16,918
Montgomery 2,947 52.21% 2,675 47.39% 23 0.40% 272 4.82% 5,645
Neshoba 7,837 71.15% 3,089 28.04% 89 0.81% 4,748 43.11% 11,015
Newton 6,394 65.40% 3,319 33.95% 64 0.65% 3,075 31.45% 9,777
Noxubee 1,325 21.15% 4,920 78.54% 19 0.31% -3,595 -57.39% 6,264
Oktibbeha 8,761 48.36% 9,095 50.20% 261 1.44% -334 -1.84% 18,117
Panola 7,629 45.34% 9,079 53.96% 118 0.70% -1,450 -8.62% 16,826
Pearl River 17,549 78.96% 4,366 19.65% 309 1.39% 13,183 59.31% 22,224
Perry 4,137 72.30% 1,527 26.69% 58 1.01% 2,610 45.61% 5,722
Pike 8,181 45.52% 9,650 53.69% 143 0.79% -1,469 -8.17% 17,974
Pontotoc 9,448 76.13% 2,804 22.59% 159 1.28% 6,644 53.54% 12,411
Prentiss 7,075 70.52% 2,817 28.08% 141 1.40% 4,258 42.44% 10,033
Quitman 1,116 28.05% 2,837 71.30% 26 0.65% -1,721 -43.25% 3,979
Rankin 48,444 75.52% 14,988 23.37% 713 1.11% 33,456 52.15% 64,145
Scott 6,089 54.36% 5,031 44.91% 82 0.73% 1,058 9.45% 11,202
Sharkey 737 29.11% 1,782 70.38% 13 0.51% -1,045 -41.27% 2,532
Simpson 7,424 60.61% 4,723 38.56% 102 0.83% 2,701 22.05% 12,249
Smith 6,049 74.69% 1,979 24.44% 71 0.87% 4,070 50.25% 8,099
Stone 5,420 71.96% 2,003 26.59% 109 1.45% 3,417 45.37% 7,532
Sunflower 2,929 26.09% 8,199 73.02% 100 0.89% -5,270 -46.93% 11,228
Tallahatchie 2,499 38.43% 3,959 60.88% 45 0.69% -1,460 -22.45% 6,503
Tate 7,332 59.10% 4,933 39.76% 141 1.14% 2,399 19.34% 12,406
Tippah 6,717 73.30% 2,317 25.28% 130 1.42% 4,400 48.02% 9,164
Tishomingo 6,133 77.28% 1,643 20.70% 160 2.02% 4,490 56.58% 7,936
Tunica 883 20.15% 3,475 79.30% 24 0.55% -2,592 -59.15% 4,382
Union 8,498 74.77% 2,742 24.13% 125 1.10% 5,756 50.64% 11,365
Walthall 4,051 53.65% 3,422 45.32% 78 1.03% 629 8.33% 7,551
Warren 10,457 48.89% 10,786 50.42% 148 0.69% -329 -1.53% 21,391
Washington 5,651 28.66% 13,981 70.92% 83 0.42% -8,330 -42.26% 19,715
Wayne 6,111 59.15% 4,148 40.15% 73 0.70% 1,963 19.00% 10,332
Webster 3,992 76.27% 1,190 22.74% 52 0.99% 2,802 53.53% 5,234
Wilkinson 1,415 29.16% 3,412 70.31% 26 0.53% -1,997 -41.15% 4,853
Winston 5,168 52.58% 4,607 46.87% 54 0.55% 561 5.71% 9,829
Yalobusha 3,276 51.56% 3,030 47.69% 48 0.75% 246 3.87% 6,354
Yazoo 4,941 42.52% 6,603 56.82% 76 0.66% -1,662 -14.30% 11,620
Totals 710,746 55.29% 562,949 43.79% 11,889 0.92% 147,797 11.50% 1,285,584
County Flips:

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

By congressional district

Romney won 3 of 4 congressional districts.[10]

District Romney Obama Representative
1st 61.87% 37% Alan Nunnelee
2nd 33% 66.4% Bennie Thompson
3rd 60% 39.1% Gregg Harper
4th 67.6% 31.24% Steven Palazzo

See also

References

  1. ^ "2012 Presidential Election Results - Mississippi". Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  2. ^ "2012 Exit Polls - Mississippi". CNN. Retrieved January 5, 2013.
  3. ^ Kestenbaum, Lawrence. "Warren County, Mississippi". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  4. ^ "Mississippi Democratic Delegation 2012". The Green Papers. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  5. ^ "Primary and Caucus Printable Calendar". CNN. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  6. ^ "Presidential Primary Dates" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  7. ^ "Mississippi Republican Delegation 2012". www.thegreenpapers.com.
  8. ^ "Republican%20Certification_2012%20Primary.pdf" (PDF).
  9. ^ "Mississippi Republican Primary - Election Results - Election 2012". The New York Times.
  10. ^ "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts". Daily Kos. Retrieved August 11, 2020.

External links

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