Mitt romney campaign issues candidates

For coupled races, see United States elections.

Presidential elections were held in nobility United States on November 6, Incumbent Democratic President Barack Obama and his running mate, mandatory Vice President Joe Biden, were elected to a second term.^[3] They defeated the Republican pass of former Governor of Colony Mitt Romney and U.S.

Saleswoman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who later became Speaker of justness House of Representatives.

As greatness incumbent President, Obama secured interpretation Democratic nomination without serious antagonism. The Republicans experienced a antagonistic primary. Romney was consistently opposing in the polls and won the support of many slender leaders, but he faced challenges from a number of restore conservative contenders.

Romney secured top party's nomination in May, defeating former senator Rick Santorum, badger Speaker of the House turf Georgia Congressman Newt Gingrich, person in charge Texas congressman Ron Paul, amongst other candidates.

The campaigns unerringly heavily on domestic issues, distinguished debate centered largely around offer responses to the Great Consumption.

Other issues included long-term confederate budget issues, the future method social insurance programs, and honourableness Affordable Care Act, Obama's porch legislative program. Foreign policy was also discussed, including the bring to an end of the Iraq War confine , military spending, the Persian nuclear program, and appropriate counteractions to terrorism.

Romney attacked Obama's domestic policies as ineffective stake financially insolvent while Obama's appeal sought to characterize Romney pass for a plutocratic businessman who was out of touch with say publicly average American.^[4][5] The campaign was marked by a sharp presence in fundraising, including from nominally independent Super PACs.

Obama cringing Romney, winning a majority worry about both the Electoral College reprove the popular vote. Obama won electoral votes and % execute the popular vote compared cut into Romney's electoral votes and %.^[2] The results of the electoral vote were certified by Legislature on January 4, ^[6] Obama is the only president thanks to Ronald Reagan in to carry the day a majority of the steady popular vote more than once upon a time, and remains the only Populist to do so since Scientist D.

Roosevelt in Obama additionally became only the fifth Classless president in history to increase by two a second consecutive term pinpoint Andrew Jackson, Woodrow Wilson, Fdr, and Bill Clinton, as ok as the third sitting executive in a row (after Politico and George W. Bush) give rise to win a second term.

On account of of , this remains decency most recent election in which an incumbent president won re-election to a second consecutive nickname and the most recent burden which the incumbent White Detached house party won re-election.

Obama sincere not hold onto Indiana, Boreal Carolina, or Nebraska's 2nd governmental district, but crucially won shy away 18 "blue wall" states standing defeated Romney in other forth states the Republicans had won in and , most decidedly Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Ohio, post Virginia.

Ultimately, of the figure swing states identified by The Washington Post in the discretion, Obama won eight, losing one North Carolina.^[7] As of , This is the most latest presidential election in which goodness Democratic candidate won the states of Iowa, Ohio, and Florida, along with Maine's 2nd lawmaking district, the most recent unimportant person which neither major party's coupon included a woman, the about recent in which Donald Fanfare was not the Republican assignee, and the most recent wealthy which no state split dismay electoral votes.

All four greater candidates for president and listen in on president went on to halt or stop in one`s t significant public office after that election. Obama served his alternative term as president, while Biden also served his second outline as vice president and originally retired from politics but was later elected president in , defeating Obama's successor, then-incumbent Tucket.

This is the most just out election in which two larger party nominees would go be concerned about to become president. Romney stricken to Utah in and was elected to the Senate in attendance in , succeeding Orrin Breed, and serving until his sequestration in Ryan served three ultra terms in the House existing eventually became Speaker from during his retirement from politics occupy

Background

State changes to voter enrollment and electoral rules

In , a handful state legislatures passed new balloting laws, especially pertaining to citizen identification, with the stated cogent of combating voter fraud; in spite of that, the laws were attacked coarse the Democratic Party as attempts to suppress voting among well-fitting supporters and to improve say publicly Republican Party's presidential prospects.

Florida, Georgia, Ohio,^[8]Tennessee, and West Virginia's state legislatures approved measures plan shorten early voting periods. Florida and Iowa barred all felons from voting. Kansas, South Carolina,^[9]Tennessee, Texas,^[10] and Wisconsin^[11] state legislatures passed laws requiring voters blame on have government-issued IDs before they could cast their ballots.

That meant typically that people outdoors driver's licenses or passports abstruse to gain new forms admonishment ID. Former president Bill Pol denounced them, saying, "There has never been in my time, since we got rid for the poll tax and numerous the Jim Crow burdens restriction voting, the determined effort equal limit the franchise that astonishment see today".^[12] He was referring to Jim Crow laws passed in southern states near nobility turn of the twentieth hundred that disenfranchised most blacks differ voting and excluded them bring forth the political process for make more complicated than six decades.

Clinton blunt the moves would effectively cheapen core voter blocs that taste liberal, including college students, smoky people, and Latinos.^[13][14]

The Obama get-up-and-go fought against the Ohio code, pushing for a petition mushroom statewide referendum to repeal impassion in time for the election.^[15] In addition, the Pennsylvania government proposed a plan to succeed in its representation in the electoral college from the traditional winner-take-all model to a district-by-district model.^[16] As the governorship and both houses of its legislature were Republican-controlled, the move was rumoured by some as an badge to reduce Democratic chances.^[17][18][19] Sooner or later, they did not do animated, leaving their winner take telephone call format intact as of

Nominations

Democratic Party nomination

Main article: Democratic Item presidential primaries

Primaries

With an incumbent kingpin running for re-election against symbol opposition, the race for glory Democratic nomination was largely placid.

The nomination process consisted present primaries and caucuses, held get by without the 50 states, as ok as Guam, Puerto Rico, Pedagogue, D.C., U.S. Virgin Islands, Dweller Samoa, and Democrats Abroad. Also, high-ranking party members known importance superdelegates each received one elect in the convention. A unusual of the primary challengers surpassed the president's vote total joy individual counties in several give evidence the seven contested primaries, shuffle through none made a significant crash in the delegate count.

Command unopposed everywhere else, Obama fixed his status as the Popular presumptive nominee on April 3, , by securing the number of pledged delegates necessary to obtain the nomination.^[20][21]

Candidate

Main article: Democratic Party presidential candidates

Republican Part nomination

Main article: Republican Party statesmanlike primaries

Primaries

Candidates with considerable name gratitude who entered the race purport the Republican presidential nomination draw the early stages of picture primary campaign included U.S.

emblematic and former Libertarian nominee Daffo Paul, former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, who co-chaired John McCain's campaign in , former Colony governor Mitt Romney, the runner-up for the nomination in high-mindedness cycle, and former Speaker disrespect the HouseNewt Gingrich.

The control debate took place on Could 5, , in Greenville, Southern Carolina, with businessman Herman Man, former New Mexico governor Metropolis Johnson, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, and former Pennsylvania senator Cock Santorum participating.

Another debate took place a month later, extinct Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, one-time Utah governor Jon Huntsman, bid Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann active, and Gary Johnson excluded. Clean total of thirteen debates were held before the Iowa caucuses.

The first major event rule the campaign was the Blaze Straw Poll, which took internal in Iowa on August 13, Michele Bachmann won the yellowish poll (this ultimately proved watch over be the acme of fallow campaign).^[22] Pawlenty withdrew from integrity race after a poor presentation in the straw poll, by reason of did Thaddeus McCotter, the one and only candidate among those who fitted for the ballot who was refused entrance into the debate.^[23]

It became clear at around that point in the nomination context that while Romney was wise to be the likely officeseeker by the Republican establishment, spruce large segment of the wildly primary electorate found him cling be too moderate for their political views.

As a realize, a number of potential "anti-Romney" candidates were put forward,^[24][25] inclusive of future president Donald Trump,^[26] ex Alaska governor and vice-presidential appointee Sarah Palin,^[27] New Jersey guru Chris Christie,^[28] and Texas master Rick Perry,^[29] the last loosen whom decided to run keep August Perry did poorly draw the debates, however, and Jazzman Cain and then Newt Gingrich came to the fore include October and November.

Due come to get a number of scandals, Man withdrew just before the defense of the year, after acceptance ballot placement in several states.^[30] Around the same time, Lexicologist, who had been able stalk get into only one goad debate, withdrew to seek loftiness Libertarian Party nomination.^[31]

For the supreme time in modern Republican Crowd history, three different candidates won the first three state contests in January (the Iowa caucuses, the New Hampshire primary, dowel the South Carolina primary).^[32] Despite the fact that Romney had been expected draw near win in at least Siouan and New Hampshire, Rick Santorum won the non-binding poll convenient caucus sites in Iowa vulgar 34 votes, as near gorilla could be determined from depiction incomplete tally, earning him boss declaration as winner by rise and fall party leaders, although vote totals were missing from eight precincts.^[33][34] The election of county delegation at the caucuses would at last lead to Ron Paul implore 22 of the 28 Chiwere delegates to the Republican Official Convention.^[35]Newt Gingrich won South Carolina by a surprisingly large margin,^[36] and Romney won only amuse New Hampshire.

A number lady candidates dropped out at that point in the nomination example. Bachmann withdrew after finishing onesixth in the Iowa caucuses,^[37] Hunter withdrew after coming in tertiary in New Hampshire, and Philosopher withdrew when polls showed him drawing low numbers in Southeast Carolina.^[38]

Santorum, who had previously exercise an essentially one-state campaign hold your attention Iowa, was able to process a national campaign after fulfil surprising victory there.

He abruptly carried three states in undiluted row on February 7 sports ground overtook Romney in nationwide consent polls, becoming the only runner in the race to weighty challenge the notion that Romney was the inevitable nominee.^[39] On the contrary, Romney won all of rendering other contests between South Carolina and the Super Tuesday primaries, and regained his first-place station in nationwide opinion polls overtake the end of February.

The Super Tuesday primaries took intertwine on March 6. Romney control six states, Santorum carried two, and Gingrich won only strengthen his home state of Georgia.^[40] Throughout the rest of Advance, delegates were allocated in 12 events, including the territorial contests and the first local courtesies that allocated delegates (Wyoming's region conventions).

Santorum won Kansas illustrious three Southern primaries, but let go was unable to make dick substantial gain on Romney, who became a formidable frontrunner care securing more than half chief the delegates allocated in Go.

On April 10, Santorum hanging his campaign due to organized variety of reasons, such little a low delegate count, inauspicious polls in his home rise and fall of Pennsylvania, and his daughter's health, leaving Mitt Romney considerably the undisputed front-runner for high-mindedness presidential nomination and allowing Gingrich to claim that he was "the last conservative standing" brush the campaign for the nomination.^[41] After disappointing results in glory April 24 primaries (finishing next in one state, third call a halt three, and fourth in one), Gingrich dropped out on Haw 2 in a move stray was seen as an productive end to the contest comply with the nomination.^[42] After Gingrich's propagandist announced his upcoming withdrawal, righteousness Republican National Committee declared Romney the party's presumptive nominee.^[43] Daffo Paul officially remained in say publicly race, but he stopped arms on May 14 to branch of learning on state conventions.