2012 United States presidential election in Utah
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| Elections in Utah |
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 2012 U.S. presidential election | |
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The 2012 United States presidential election in Utah 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. Utah 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.
Prior to the election, all 17 news organizations making election predictions considered this a state Romney would win, or otherwise considered as a safe red state. Utah is among the most heavily Republican states, voting for the Republican ticket in every presidential election since 1968 and all but once since 1952, and is also the only state to have a majority Mormon population, benefiting Romney, the first Mormon to head a major party presidential ticket. Romney won in a landslide, carrying 72.55% of the vote to Obama's 24.67%, a margin of 47.88% or 488,787 votes, the best raw vote margin in the state's history to date.[1] He won every county in the state by margins of over 15%, except for Grand and Summit County, home to the cities of Moab and Park City, respectively. Romney flipped these counties along with Salt Lake County, where the state's largest city, Salt Lake City, is located.
With a 47.88% margin, Utah would prove to be Romney's strongest state in the 2012 election, and it would also be Romney's largest outperformance of John McCain in 2008, winning the state by almost 20 points more.[2] Romney would go on to be elected as a United States Senator from Utah six years later in 2018 after having switched his residence to the Beehive State. Romney's vote share in Utah was also the highest of any presidential nominee in any state since Ronald Reagan's in Utah in 1984, and remains so as of 2020. Romney's landslide win would also foreshadow Utah's considerable swing to the center in the elections following. Romney, who became a heavy critic of later-President Donald Trump,[3][4][5] played a factor in Trump's smaller 20.48% win in 2020, representing a significant decline in support for the Republican Party likely attributable to Romney's popularity among Utah voters.
As of the 2020 presidential election, this is the last time the Republican nominee won Utah with more than 60% of the vote, as well as the last time they won every county. It is also the last election in which Salt Lake County and Summit County have voted for the Republican presidential nominee and also the last time Utah has been the most Republican state in the United States. This is the last time a Republican presidential candidate won 70% of the vote in any state, as well as the last time any candidate (along with Obama in Hawaii) has won more than 70% of the vote in any state.
Primaries
Democratic
Due to President Barack Obama running for reelection without serious opposition from the Democratic Party in 2012, no Democratic Primary was held in Utah.
Republican
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 Utah results by county.
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The 2012 Utah Republican presidential primary took place on 26 June 2012.[6] 37 delegates were chosen, for a total of 40 delegates to go to the national convention, all pledged to the primary winner.
In 2008, Mitt Romney received major support from the Mormon (Latter Day Saints) and other religious population and was able to carry the state with 93.07% of the vote. Romney led the polling in 2012[7][8] and won the primary by more than a landslide, and no other candidate could either scrape past 5% of the vote, awarding him all 40 delegates.[9]
| 2012 Utah Republican presidential primary[9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Delegates |
 Mitt Romney
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220,865 | 93.07% | 40 |
| Ron Paul | 11,209 | 4.72% | 0 |
| Rick Santorum | 3,541 | 1.49% | 0 |
| Newt Gingrich | 1,124 | 0.47% | 0 |
| Fred Karger | 578 | 0.24% | 0 |
| Pledged party leaders: | 3 | ||
| Total: | 237,317 | 100.0% | 40 |
| Key: | Withdrew prior to contest |
General election
Candidate ballot access
- Willard Mitt Romney / Paul Davis Ryan, Republican
- Barack Hussein Obama / Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., Democratic
- Ross Carl "Rocky" Anderson / Luis Javier Rodriguez, Justice
- Gary Earl Johnson / James Polin Gray, Libertarian
- Jill Ellen Stein / Cheri Lynn Honkala, Green
- Virgil Hamlin Goode, Jr. / James N. Clymer, Constitution
- Gloria Estela La Riva / Filberto Ramirez Jr., Socialism and Liberation (as stand-ins for Peta Lindsay and Yari Osorio, who may not appear on the Utah ballot due to their Constitutional ineligibility to be president and vice president)[needs update]
Write-in access:
- Andre Nigel Barnett / Ken Cross, Reform
Results
| 2012 United States presidential election in Utah[10] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Running mate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
| Republican | Mitt Romney | Paul Ryan | 740,600 | 72.55% | 6 | |
| Democratic | Barack Obama | Joe Biden | 251,813 | 24.67% | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson | Jim Gray | 12,572 | 1.23% | 0 | |
| Justice | Rocky Anderson | Luis J. Rodriguez | 5,335 | 0.52% | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein | Cheri Honkala | 3,817 | 0.37% | 0 | |
| Constitution | Virgil Goode | Jim Clymer | 2,871 | 0.28% | 0 | |
| Socialism and Liberation | Gloria La Riva | Filberto Ramirez Jr. | 393 | 0.04% | 0 | |
| Others | Others | 2,414 | 0.24% | 0 | ||
| Totals | 1,019,815 | 100.00% | 6 | |||
Results by county
| County | Mitt Romney[11] Republican |
Barack Obama[11] Democratic |
Gary Johnson[11] Libertarian |
Various candidates[11] Other parties |
Margin | Total votes cast | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Beaver | 2,174 | 84.92% | 346 | 13.52% | 17 | 0.66% | 23 | 0.90% | 1,828 | 71.40% | 2,560 |
| Box Elder | 17,101 | 88.11% | 1,984 | 10.22% | 150 | 0.77% | 173 | 0.89% | 15,117 | 77.89% | 19,408 |
| Cache | 35,039 | 82.85% | 6,244 | 14.76% | 543 | 1.28% | 467 | 1.10% | 28,795 | 68.09% | 42,293 |
| Carbon | 5,090 | 67.27% | 2,275 | 30.06% | 88 | 1.16% | 114 | 1.51% | 2,815 | 37.21% | 7,567 |
| Daggett | 406 | 78.08% | 94 | 18.08% | 16 | 3.08% | 4 | 0.77% | 312 | 60.00% | 520 |
| Davis | 96,861 | 80.00% | 21,889 | 18.08% | 1,217 | 1.01% | 1,102 | 0.91% | 74,972 | 61.92% | 121,069 |
| Duchesne | 5,698 | 89.32% | 581 | 9.11% | 41 | 0.64% | 59 | 0.92% | 5,117 | 80.21% | 6,379 |
| Emery | 3,777 | 84.90% | 569 | 12.79% | 48 | 1.08% | 55 | 1.23% | 3,208 | 72.11% | 4,449 |
| Garfield | 1,832 | 83.96% | 308 | 14.12% | 17 | 0.78% | 25 | 1.15% | 1,524 | 69.84% | 2,182 |
| Grand | 1,996 | 50.53% | 1,727 | 43.72% | 71 | 1.80% | 156 | 3.95% | 269 | 6.81% | 3,950 |
| Iron | 14,200 | 84.47% | 2,148 | 12.78% | 202 | 1.20% | 261 | 1.55% | 12,052 | 71.69% | 16,811 |
| Juab | 3,448 | 85.99% | 451 | 11.25% | 27 | 0.67% | 84 | 2.09% | 2,997 | 74.74% | 4,010 |
| Kane | 2,522 | 74.81% | 744 | 22.07% | 47 | 1.39% | 58 | 1.72% | 1,778 | 52.74% | 3,371 |
| Millard | 4,478 | 88.59% | 431 | 8.53% | 43 | 0.85% | 103 | 2.04% | 4,047 | 80.06% | 5,055 |
| Morgan | 4,114 | 89.49% | 403 | 8.77% | 36 | 0.78% | 44 | 0.95% | 3,711 | 80.72% | 4,597 |
| Piute | 697 | 89.13% | 74 | 9.46% | 5 | 0.64% | 6 | 0.77% | 623 | 79.67% | 782 |
| Rich | 915 | 90.15% | 83 | 8.18% | 6 | 0.59% | 11 | 1.09% | 832 | 81.97% | 1,015 |
| Salt Lake | 223,811 | 58.26% | 146,147 | 38.04% | 5,521 | 1.44% | 8,695 | 2.26% | 77,664 | 20.22% | 384,174 |
| San Juan | 3,074 | 57.92% | 2,139 | 40.31% | 42 | 0.79% | 52 | 0.98% | 935 | 17.61% | 5,307 |
| Sanpete | 8,406 | 88.05% | 980 | 10.27% | 69 | 0.72% | 92 | 0.96% | 7,426 | 77.78% | 9,547 |
| Sevier | 7,207 | 89.32% | 738 | 9.15% | 56 | 0.69% | 68 | 0.84% | 6,469 | 80.17% | 8,069 |
| Summit | 8,884 | 50.49% | 8,072 | 45.87% | 301 | 1.71% | 340 | 1.93% | 812 | 4.62% | 17,597 |
| Tooele | 14,268 | 73.77% | 4,524 | 23.39% | 232 | 1.20% | 318 | 1.64% | 9,744 | 50.38% | 19,342 |
| Uintah | 10,421 | 89.75% | 997 | 8.59% | 71 | 0.61% | 122 | 1.05% | 9,424 | 81.16% | 11,611 |
| Utah | 156,950 | 88.32% | 17,281 | 9.72% | 2,120 | 1.19% | 1,362 | 0.77% | 139,669 | 78.60% | 177,713 |
| Wasatch | 7,220 | 74.90% | 2,191 | 22.73% | 90 | 0.93% | 139 | 1.45% | 5,029 | 52.17% | 9,640 |
| Washington | 44,698 | 82.43% | 8,337 | 15.37% | 541 | 1.00% | 650 | 1.19% | 36,361 | 67.06% | 54,226 |
| Wayne | 1,089 | 82.06% | 215 | 16.20% | 6 | 0.45% | 17 | 1.28% | 874 | 65.86% | 1,327 |
| Weber | 54,224 | 71.08% | 19,841 | 26.01% | 949 | 1.24% | 1,276 | 1.68% | 34,383 | 45.07% | 76,290 |
| Totals | 740,600 | 72.55% | 251,813 | 24.67% | 12,572 | 1.23% | 15,876 | 1.55% | 488,787 | 47.88% | 1,020,861 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Grand (largest city: Moab)
- Salt Lake (largest city: Salt Lake City)
- Summit (largest city: Park City)
By congressional district
Mitt Romney won all four congressional districts, including the 4th district, which simultaneously elected a Democrat, Jim Matheson.
| District | Romney | Obama | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 78% | 20% | Rob Bishop |
| 2nd | 68% | 29% | Chris Stewart |
| 3rd | 79% | 20% | Jason Chaffetz |
| 4th | 68% | 30% | district created |
| Jim Matheson |
See also
- United States presidential elections in Utah
- 2012 Republican Party presidential debates and forums
- 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries
- Results of the 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries
- Utah Republican Party
References
- ^ "Historical Election Results – Utah Voter Information". voteinfo.utah.gov. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ "2012 Presidential Election Statistics". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
- ^ Lalljee, Jason (August 15, 2020). "Romney criticizes Trump's mail-in voting attacks, COVID-19 response". USA Today. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Shabad, Rebecca (November 20, 2020). "Romney says he can't imagine 'a more undemocratic action' than what Trump's done". NBC News. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ "Mitt Romney criticizes Trump's fraud claim as 'reckless'". Times-Herald. November 6, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ "Primary and Caucus Printable Calendar". CNN. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
- ^ "WSJ Poll tracker, 17-poll average". Wall Street Journal. April 10, 2012. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
- ^ "Poll: Utah voters believe Romney's Mormon faith hurting him less this time". Deseret News. April 3, 2012.
- ^ a b "Republican for president". Utah Election Results. State of Utah. Retrieved August 27, 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Utah Secretary of State". Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Our Campaigns; UT US Presidential Election November 06, 2012
External links
- The Green Papers: for Utah
- The Green Papers: Major state elections in chronological order
