2012 United States presidential election in North Dakota


The 2012 United States presidential election in North Dakota 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. North Dakota voters chose three 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.
Prior to the election, 17 news organizations considered this a state Romney would win, or otherwise considered as a safe red state. Mitt Romney handily won the state with 58.32% of the vote to Barack Obama's 38.70%, a 19.62% margin of victory.

General election

Results

By county

Republican caucuses

The 2012 North Dakota Republican caucuses were held on March 6, 2012. North Dakota has 28 delegates to the Republican National Convention; despite Rick Santorum's nominal win in the preference poll conducted during the caucuses, the majority of the delegates elected by the state party convention later in March said they supported Romney.

Convention controversy

had its state convention from Friday March 30 to Sunday April 1 where twenty-five unbound National Convention delegates were elected. Rick Santorum had won the strawpoll at the Legislative Districts caucuses on Super Tuesday with a large margin to Ron Paul in second place and Mitt Romney in third place. The party leaderships recommended slate of delegates was to reflect this strawpoll result. According to Santorum and Paul supporters the slate did not live up to this requirement, but gave Romney a large majority of the delegates. Former NDGOP Chairman Gary Emineth called the vote undemocratic and a railroad job.

Electors

North Dakota has 3 Electoral votes in the Electoral College. The following names pledged to Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.
Layton Freborg, State Senator
Mary Lee
David Nething, State Senator

Polling

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin of
error		Barack
Obama 		Mitt
Romney 		OtherUndecided
October 26–28625± 4.0%40%54%3%3%
October 12–15500± 4.3%32%57%-11%
October 17–18600± 4.0%40%54%2%4%
October 3–5625± 4.0%40%54%1%5%
July 10–11, 2012400± - 5%36%51%6%7%
June 4–12625± 4.0%39%52%––

‡Likely primary voters

Predictions