2012 United States presidential election in Nebraska

← 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 5 0 Popular vote 475,064 302,081 Percentage 59.80% 38.03%

County Results Congressional District Results Romney   40-50%   50-60%   60-70%   70-80%   80-90% Obama   50-60%

President before election Barack Obama Democratic Elected President Barack Obama Democratic

Elections in Nebraska
Federal offices Presidential elections 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 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Presidential primaries Democratic 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Republican 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 U.S. Senate elections 1867 1869 1870 1875 1877 1880 1883 1886 1888 1889 1893 1895 1899 1899 sp 1901 1901 sp 1905 1907 1911 1913 1916 1918 1922 1924 1928 1930 1934 1934 sp 1936 1940 1942 1946 1948 1952 1952 sp 1954 1954 sp 1958 1960 1964 1966 1970 1972 1976 1978 1982 1984 1988 1990 1994 1996 2000 2002 2006 2008 2012 2014 2018 2020 2024 2024 sp 2026 U.S. House of Representatives elections 1866 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1889 2nd sp 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1899 6th sp 1900 1902 1904 1905 1st sp 1906 1908 1910 1911 3rd sp 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1st sp 6th sp 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1st sp 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1951 3rd sp 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 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 1st sp 2024
State government State elections 2010 2014 2018 2020 Gubernatorial elections 1866 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 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 1960 1962 1964 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 2026 Lieutenant Gubernatorial elections 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 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 1960 1962 1964 1966 1970 Secretary of State elections 2022 Attorney General elections 2022 State Legislature elections 2018 2020 2022 2024
Ballot measures 2000 Initiative 416
Bellevue Mayoral elections
Lincoln Mayoral elections 2019 2023
Omaha Mayoral elections 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021
Government
v t e

The 2012 United States presidential election in Nebraska 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. Voters chose five 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.

Mitt Romney carried Nebraska, taking 59.80% of the vote to Barack Obama's 38.03%, a margin of 21.77%. Nebraska is one of two states (along with Maine) which splits its electoral votes based on the winner in each congressional district. In 2012, Romney won all 3 congressional districts, thus winning all 5 of the state's electoral votes. This was a change from 2008, when the state as a whole had voted for Republican John McCain but Democrat Barack Obama still won an electoral vote from the state. Nebraska's 2nd congressional district, home to Omaha, had split with the rest of the state and awarded one of Nebraska's electoral votes to a Democratic presidential nominee for the first time since 1964. Nebraska's 2nd congressional district, Indiana, and North Carolina were the only sources of electoral votes won by Obama in 2008 that Romney managed to flip. Obama only won a single county, Thurston, largely due to its majority and increasingly politically active Native American population. He also narrowly lost three of four counties he won in 2008: Douglas, Lancaster, and Saline, home to the cities of Omaha, Lincoln, and Crete, respectively. He became the first Democrat since Grover Cleveland in 1892 to win without carrying Saline County.

As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last time that the Democrat won Thurston County and the Republican won Douglas or Lancaster County. This is also the last election when both Nebraska's 2nd congressional district did not back the overall winner of the Electoral College (and the sole time that would occur since 2000) and while the Democratic candidate would win the general election without carrying the district.

Primary elections

Democratic primary

The Democratic primary was not held as Barack Obama ran unopposed and had secured enough delegates for nomination.^[1]

Republican primary

2012 Nebraska Republican presidential primary

← 2008 May 15, 2012 (2012-05-15) 2016 →

Candidate Mitt Romney Rick Santorum Home state Massachusetts Pennsylvania Delegate count 30 0 Popular vote 131,436 25,830 Percentage 70.89% 13.93%   Candidate Ron Paul Newt Gingrich Home state Texas Georgia Delegate count 2 0 Popular vote 18,508 9,628 Percentage 9.98% 5.19%

Nebraska results by county   Mitt Romney (Note: Italicization indicates a withdrawn candidacy)

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 →
v t e

The Republican primary was on May 15, 2012.^[2] This primary was purely of an advisory nature. From June 1 to June 10 caucuses county conventions caucused to elect delegates to the state convention. These delegates were not bound to vote for any candidate, but at the state convention on July 14, elected 32 bound National delegates. 3 party leaders attended the National Convention unbound, making a total of 35 voting delegates going to the national convention from Nebraska.

Convention

The State Convention was held in Grand Island on July 14, 2012.

Convention Results[3][4]
Candidate	1st	2nd	3rd	State	Party leaders	Total
Mitt Romney	3	1	3	23	2	32
Ron Paul	0	2	0	0	0	2
Unknown	0	0	0	0	1	1
Total	9			23	3	35

General election

Results

By county

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Douglas (largest city: Omaha)
• Lancaster (largest city: Lincoln)
• Saline (largest city: Crete)

Results by congressional district

Romney won all three of Nebraska's congressional districts.^[5]