2012 United States presidential election in Wisconsin

The 2012 United States presidential election in Wisconsin 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. Wisconsin voters chose 10 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 won the state of Wisconsin with 52.83% of the vote to Romney's 45.89%, a 6.94% margin of victory. While this represented half the victory margin of Obama's 13.91% win in 2008, when he won 59 of 72 counties and 7 of 8 congressional districts, it still remains the only other presidential election in the 21st century where the winning candidate won the state by more than 1% of the vote. Obama's win was also surprisingly comfortable even though Wisconsin was the home state of Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, making him the first Republican vice presidential nominee to lose their home state since Jack Kemp lost New York in 1996.

Primary elections Democratic primary President Barack Obama ran unopposed in the Democratic Primary, winning 293,914 votes, or 97.89%. Uncommitted ballots received 5,092 votes, or 1.89% of the vote, while 849 votes, 0.28%, were scattered. 111 delegates, all of which were pledged to Obama were sent to the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Republican primary

The 2012 Wisconsin Republican presidential primary took place on April 3, 2012, the same day as the primaries in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Mitt Romney edged out a victory, with 44.03% of the vote and 33 delegates, with former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania coming in second with 36.83% of the vote and 9 delegates. No other candidates won any delegates nor counties, though representative Ron Paul of Texas's 14th district received 11.15% and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich received 5.84%. All other candidates received less than 1%. Romney's strength was concentrated in Southeast Wisconsin, carrying Milwaukee and all of its suburbs (including the Kenosha and Racine as well as the ancestrally Republican counties of Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha), as well as Madison. Santorum's most significant victories were in Western Wisconsin and in Green Bay and its respective suburbs.

2012 Wisconsin Republican presidential primary Candidate Votes Percentage Delegates Mitt Romney 346,876 44.03% 33 Rick Santorum 290,139 36.83% 9 Ron Paul 87,858 11.15% 0 Newt Gingrich 45,978 5.84% 0 Michele Bachmann 6,045 0.77% 0 Jon Huntsman 5,083 0.65% 0 Uninstructed 4,200 0.53% 0 Scattering 1,668 0.21% 0 Total: 787,847 100% 42

General election Predictions SourceRankingAs ofHuffington PostNovember 6, 2012CNNNovember 6, 2012 New York Times November 6, 2012Washington PostNovember 6, 2012RealClearPoliticsNovember 6, 2012Sabato's Crystal BallNovember 5, 2012FiveThirtyEightNovember 6, 2012

Results Although Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan was from Wisconsin, representing the 1st district in Congress, the Republican Party lost by around a seven-point margin, which was, albeit an improved loss from Obama's landslide 13.91% margin in 2008, a crucial loss. 2012 United States presidential election in WisconsinPartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Democratic Barack Obama (incumbent) Joe Biden (incumbent) 1,620,985 52.83% 10 Republican Mitt Romney Paul Ryan 1,407,966 45.89% 0 Libertarian Gary Johnson Jim Gray 20,439 0.67% 0 Green Jill Stein Cheri Honkala 7,665 0.25% 0 Write-Ins Write-Ins 5,170 0.17% 0 Constitution Virgil Goode Jim Clymer 4,930 0.16% 0 Socialist Equality Jerry White Phyllis Scherrer 553 0.02% 0 Socialism and Liberation Gloria La Riva Filberto Ramirez Jr. 526 0.02% 0 Justice Rocky Anderson Luis J. Rodriguez 112 0.00% 0 Peace & Freedom Roseanne Barr Cindy Sheehan 88 0.00% 0 Totals 3,068,434 100.00% 10

By county County Barack ObamaDemocratic Mitt RomneyRepublican Various candidatesOther parties Margin Total votes cast#%#%#%#% Adams 5,552 53.87% 4,644 45.14% 101 0.99% 898 8.73% 10,287 Ashland 5,399 64.49% 2,820 33.68% 153 1.83% 2,579 30.81% 8,372 Barron 10,890 47.99% 11,443 50.43% 359 1.58% -553 -2.44% 22,692 Bayfield 6,033 61.64% 3,603 36.81% 152 1.55% 2,430 24.83% 9,788 Brown 62,526 48.50% 64,836 50.29% 1,566 1.21% -2,310 -1.79% 128,928 Buffalo 3,570 50.72% 3,364 47.79% 105 1.49% 206 2.93% 7,039 Burnett 3,986 45.94% 4,550 52.44% 141 1.62% -564 -6.50% 8,677 Calumet 11,489 43.49% 14,539 55.03% 392 1.48% -3,050 -11.54% 26,420 Chippewa 15,237 49.26% 15,322 49.53% 373 1.21% -85 -0.27% 30,932 Clark 6,172 44.72% 7,412 53.71% 217 1.57% -1,240 -8.99% 13,801 Columbia 17,175 56.23% 13,026 42.64% 345 1.13% 4,149 13.59% 30,546 Crawford 4,629 59.22% 3,067 39.24% 121 1.54% 1,562 19.98% 7,817 Dane 216,071 71.03% 83,644 27.50% 4,466 1.47% 132,427 43.53% 304,181 Dodge 18,762 42.17% 25,211 56.67% 515 1.16% -6,449 -14.50% 44,488 Door 9,357 52.95% 8,121 45.96% 193 1.09% 1,236 6.99% 17,671 Douglas 14,863 64.92% 7,705 33.66% 326 1.42% 7,158 31.26% 22,894 Dunn 11,316 51.46% 10,224 46.49% 452 2.05% 1,092 4.97% 21,992 Eau Claire 30,666 55.95% 23,256 42.43% 884 1.62% 7,410 13.52% 54,806 Florence 953 36.30% 1,645 62.67% 27 1.03% -692 -26.37% 2,625 Fond du Lac 22,379 41.91% 30,355 56.84% 668 1.25% -7,976 -14.93% 53,402 Forest 2,425 52.17% 2,172 46.73% 51 1.10% 253 5.44% 4,648 Grant 13,594 56.06% 10,255 42.29% 399 1.65% 3,339 13.77% 24,248 Green 11,206 58.00% 7,857 40.66% 259 1.34% 3,349 17.34% 19,322 Green Lake 3,793 39.20% 5,782 59.76% 100 1.04% -1,989 -20.56% 9,675 Iowa 8,105 64.66% 4,287 34.20% 142 1.14% 3,818 30.46% 12,534 Iron 1,784 49.12% 1,790 49.28% 58 1.60% -6 -0.16% 3,632 Jackson 5,298 56.89% 3,900 41.88% 115 1.23% 1,398 15.01% 9,313 Jefferson 20,158 45.52% 23,517 53.11% 606 1.37% -3,359 -7.59% 44,281 Juneau 6,242 52.78% 5,411 45.75% 174 1.47% 831 7.03% 11,827 Kenosha 44,867 55.46% 34,977 43.24% 1,053 1.30% 9,890 12.22% 80,897 Kewaunee 5,153 46.69% 5,747 52.07% 137 1.24% -594 -5.38% 11,037 La Crosse 36,693 57.82% 25,751 40.58% 1,018 1.60% 10,942 17.24% 63,462 Lafayette 4,536 57.04% 3,314 41.68% 102 1.28% 1,222 15.36% 7,952 Langlade 4,573 43.47% 5,816 55.29% 130 1.24% -1,243 -11.82% 10,519 Lincoln 7,563 49.70% 7,455 48.99% 198 1.31% 108 0.71% 15,216 Manitowoc 20,403 47.88% 21,604 50.69% 610 1.43% -1,201 -2.81% 42,617 Marathon 32,363 46.32% 36,617 52.41% 882 1.27% -4,254 -6.09% 69,862 Marinette 9,882 47.56% 10,619 51.11% 276 1.33% -737 -3.55% 20,777 Marquette 4,014 49.52% 3,992 49.25% 99 1.23% 22 0.27% 8,105 Menominee 1,191 86.49% 179 13.00% 7 0.51% 1,012 73.49% 1,377 Milwaukee 332,438 67.49% 154,924 31.45% 5,214 1.06% 177,514 36.04% 492,576 Monroe 9,515 48.83% 9,675 49.65% 295 1.52% -160 -0.82% 19,485 Oconto 8,865 44.64% 10,741 54.09% 253 1.27% -1,876 -9.45% 19,859 Oneida 10,452 48.27% 10,917 50.42% 283 1.31% -465 -2.15% 21,652 Outagamie 45,659 48.27% 47,372 50.08% 1,565 1.65% -1,713 -1.81% 94,596 Ozaukee 19,159 34.32% 36,077 64.63% 581 1.05% -16,918 -30.31% 55,817 Pepin 1,876 50.72% 1,794 48.50% 29 0.78% 82 2.22% 3,699 Pierce 10,235 48.69% 10,397 49.46% 388 1.85% -162 -0.77% 21,020 Polk 10,073 44.62% 12,094 53.58% 406 1.80% -2,021 -8.96% 22,573 Portage 22,075 56.12% 16,615 42.24% 647 1.64% 5,460 13.88% 39,337 Price 3,887 49.20% 3,884 49.16% 130 1.64% 3 0.04% 7,901 Racine 53,008 51.28% 49,347 47.74% 1,009 0.98% 3,661 3.54% 103,364 Richland 4,969 57.41% 3,573 41.28% 113 1.31% 1,396 16.13% 8,655 Rock 49,219 61.00% 30,517 37.82% 954 1.18% 18,702 23.18% 80,690 Rusk 3,397 47.24% 3,676 51.12% 118 1.64% -279 -3.88% 7,191 St. Croix 19,910 43.07% 25,503 55.17% 812 1.76% -5,593 -12.10% 46,225 Sauk 18,736 58.68% 12,838 40.21% 353 1.11% 5,898 18.47% 31,927 Sawyer 4,486 49.71% 4,442 49.22% 97 1.07% 44 0.49% 9,025 Shawano 9,000 44.38% 11,022 54.35% 257 1.27% -2,022 -9.97% 20,279 Sheboygan 27,918 44.56% 34,072 54.38% 661 1.06% -6,154 -9.82% 62,651 Taylor 3,763 39.56% 5,601 58.88% 148 1.56% -1,838 -19.32% 9,512 Trempealeau 7,605 56.41% 5,707 42.33% 169 1.26% 1,898 14.08% 13,481 Vernon 8,044 56.37% 5,942 41.64% 283 1.99% 2,102 14.73% 14,269 Vilas 5,951 42.99% 7,749 55.98% 142 1.03% -1,798 -12.99% 13,842 Walworth 22,552 43.12% 29,006 55.46% 745 1.42% -6,454 -12.34% 52,303 Washburn 4,447 47.88% 4,699 50.60% 141 1.52% -252 -2.72% 9,287 Washington 23,166 29.42% 54,765 69.55% 811 1.03% -31,599 -40.13% 78,742 Waukesha 78,779 32.31% 162,798 66.76% 2,279 0.93% -84,019 -34.45% 243,856 Waupaca 11,578 44.81% 14,002 54.19% 260 1.00% -2,424 -9.38% 25,840 Waushara 5,335 44.28% 6,562 54.47% 151 1.25% -1,227 -10.19% 12,048 Winnebago 45,449 50.97% 42,122 47.24% 1,602 1.79% 3,327 3.73% 89,173 Wood 18,581 47.77% 19,704 50.65% 615 1.58% -1,123 -2.88% 38,900Totals1,620,98552.83%1,407,96645.89%39,4831.29%213,0196.94%3,068,434

Counties that flipped Democratic to Republican

Barron (largest city: Rice Lake) Brown (largest city: Green Bay) Burnett (largest village: Grantsburg) Calumet (largest city: Chilton) Chippewa (largest city: Chippewa Falls) Clark (largest city: Neillsville) Iron (largest city: Hurley) Jefferson (largest city: Watertown) Kewaunee (largest city: Algoma) Langlade (largest city: Antigo) Manitowoc (largest city: Manitowoc) Marathon (largest city: Wausau) Marinette (largest city: Marinette) Monroe (largest city: Sparta) Oconto (largest city: Oconto) Oneida (largest city: Rhinelander) Outagamie (largest city: Appleton) Pierce (largest city: River Falls) Rusk (largest city: Ladysmith) Shawano (largest city: Shawano) Washburn (largest city: Spooner) Waupaca (largest city: New London) Waushara (largest city: Berlin) Wood (largest city: Marshfield)

By congressional district Despite losing the state, Romney won five of eight congressional districts.

District Romney Obama Representative 51.65% 47.44%Paul Ryan 30.46% 68.3%Mark Pocan 43.82% 54.82%Ron Kind 23.78% 75.33%Gwen Moore 61.31% 37.75%Jim Sensenbrenner 53.1% 45.77%Tom Petri 50.92% 47.83%Sean Duffy 51.26% 47.56%Reid Ribble

Analysis Obama's win was attributed to victories in Milwaukee, the state's largest city; Madison, the state capital; northwestern Wisconsin; and the Driftless Region. Romney's strength was concentrated in the loyally Republican Milwaukee suburbs, particularly the WOW counties (Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha), where he carried a combined 67.03% of the vote to Obama's 32.00%. He also flipped 24 counties in the Northeast and Central Plain regions, though most of them were rural and, therefore, insufficient to overcome Obama's aforementioned victories. Obama nonetheless became the first Democrat to win the White House without carrying Iron County since Woodrow Wilson in 1916 and Pierce County since 1960. The latter county voted Republican for the first time since 1984.

As of 2024, this is the last time the Democratic presidential nominee won the following counties: Adams, Buffalo, Columbia, Crawford, Dunn, Forest, Grant, Jackson, Juneau, Kenosha, Lafayette, Lincoln, Marquette, Pepin, Price, Racine, Richland, Sawyer, Trempealeau, Vernon, and Winnebago. This remains the last time that any candidate won Wisconsin with more than 50% of the vote or by more than 1 percentage point.

See also United States presidential elections in Wisconsin 2012 Republican Party presidential debates and forums 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries Results of the 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries Wisconsin Republican Party

References

External links The Green Papers: for Wisconsin The Green Papers: Major state elections in chronological order