2012 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia

2012 District of Columbia Democratic presidential primary
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45 delegates (22 pledged and 23 unpledged) to the Democratic National Convention
	Detailed results by precincts, wards and municipal districts

2012 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia
Turnout	60.94%
Obama 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100%
President before election; Barack Obama; Democratic	Elected President ; Barack Obama; Democratic

The 2012 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia took place on November 6, 2012, as part of the 2012 United States presidential election in which all 50 states and the District of Columbia participated. D.C. 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, Washington D.C. was considered to be a definite win for Obama; the nation's capital is heavily Democratic and has always voted for Democratic nominees for president by overwhelming margins.

Obama and Biden carried the District of Columbia with 90.9% of the popular vote to Romney's and Ryan's 7.3%, thus winning the district's three electoral votes.^[2]

Primary elections

Democratic primary

President Obama was the only candidate in the primary. The District cast all 45 of its delegate votes at the 2012 Democratic National Convention for Obama.^[3] Obama won every vote in three precincts: 79, 96 and 119. He performed the worst in Precinct 2, where the George Washington University and the White House are located.^[4]^[5]

District of Columbia Democratic primary, 2012^[6]
Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Delegates
Barack Obama (incumbent)	56,503	96.23%	22
Uncommitted	1,100	1.87%	0
Under votes	725	1.23%	0
Write-ins	386	0.66%	0
Unpledged delegates:			23
Total:	58,714	100%	45

Results by ward

Running virtually unchallenged, Obama swept all of the capital's eight wards with more than 90% of the vote. He performed best in Wards 7 and 8 in DC's southeast part, securing more than 99% of the vote in each. Conversely, he earned his worst results in Wards 2 and 3, falling below 95% of the vote.^[4]

District	Obama	Uncommitted
Ward 1	97.04%	2.16%
Ward 2	94.37%	4.01%
Ward 3	94.14%	4.14%
Ward 4	97.94%	1.59%
Ward 5	98.95%	1.18%
Ward 6	96.95%	2.22%
Ward 7	99.01%	0.79%
Ward 8	99.08%	0.74%

Republican primary

The 2012 District of Columbia Republican presidential primary was held on April 3, 2012,^[7]^[8]^[9] the same day as the Maryland and Wisconsin Republican primaries.

The District of Columbia Republican Party required a $5,000 contribution, signatures from one percent of registered Republicans, and the names of 16 potential delegates and 16 alternate delegates, who then must register with the District of Columbia Office of Campaign Finance.^[10]^[11] Alternatively, under II.D.1(c) a candidate need not file signatures with a $10,000 contribution.^[11] The District of Columbia Republican Party certified Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul in lieu of petitions under II.D.1(c).^[12] Rick Santorum was not included on the ballot because he did not meet these requirements.^[10]^[12]

The District of Columbia Republican Party decided not to allow write-in votes for the primary.^[13]

The candidate with the most votes in the primary, Mitt Romney, was awarded sixteen delegates.^[14] Romney received the most votes in each of the District of Columbia's eight wards, receiving the majority of votes in wards 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6, and a plurality of votes in wards 5, 7, and 8.^[15] Paul received the second most votes in wards 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8, while Gingrich received the second most votes in wards 3 and 7.^[15] Romney also received the most votes, or tied for the most votes, in 129 of the 143 voting precincts.^[16]

The District of Columbia's three superdelegates are Chairman Bob Kabel, Republican National Committeewoman Betsy Werronen, and Republican National Committeeman Tony Parker.^[17] Kabel and Werronen both support Mitt Romney.^[17]^[18] Other delegates for the District of Columbia include Patrick Mara and Rachel Hoff.^[19]

Jill Homan and Bob Kabel were elected National Committeewoman and the National Committeeman, respectively.^[20] They will both take office after the end of the 2012 Republican National Convention.^[21]

2012 District of Columbia Republican presidential primary^[22]
Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Delegates
Mitt Romney	3,577	70.08%	18
Ron Paul	621	12.17%	0
Newt Gingrich	558	10.93%	0
Jon Huntsman	348	6.82%	0
Unprojected delegates:			1
Under votes	153
Total:	5,257	100%	19

Key:

Withdrew prior to contest

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Huffington Post^[23]	Safe D	November 6, 2012
CNN^[24]	Safe D	November 6, 2012
New York Times^[25]	Safe D	November 6, 2012
Washington Post^[26]	Safe D	November 6, 2012
RealClearPolitics^[27]	Solid D	November 6, 2012
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[28]	Solid D	November 5, 2012
FiveThirtyEight^[29]	Solid D	November 6, 2012

Ballot access

Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan, Republican
Barack Obama/Joseph Biden, Democratic
Gary Johnson/James P. Gray, Libertarian
Jill Stein/Cheri Honkala, Green

Write-in candidate access:

Virgil Goode/Jim Clymer, Constitution
Rocky Anderson/Luis J. Rodriguez, Justice

Results

2012 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia
Party		Candidate	Running mate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	Democratic	Barack Obama (incumbent)	Joe Biden (incumbent)	267,070	90.91%	3
	Republican	Mitt Romney	Paul Ryan	21,381	7.28%	0
	Green	Jill Stein	Cheri Honkala	2,458	0.84%	0
	Libertarian	Gary Johnson	James P. Gray	2,083	0.71%	0
	Others	Others	Others	772	0.26%	0
Totals				293,764	100.00%	3
Voter turnout				???		—

By Ward

Ward^[30]	Barack Obama Democratic		Mitt Romney Republican		Various Candidates Other Parties		Margin		Total Votes Cast
Ward^[30]	#	%	#	%	#	%	#	%	Total Votes Cast
Ward 1	32,131	91.95%	1,782	5.10%	1,032	2.95%	30,349	86.85%	34,945
Ward 2	24,096	80.86%	4,876	16.36%	829	2.78%	19,220	64.50%	29,801
Ward 3	31,202	80.05%	6,771	17.37%	1,005	2.58%	24,431	62.68%	38,978
Ward 4	36,864	94.19%	1,674	4.28%	601	1.53%	35,190	89.91%	39,139
Ward 5	36,436	95.88%	1,097	2.89%	468	1.23%	35,339	92.99%	38,001
Ward 6	38,825	87.31%	4,620	10.39%	1,024	2.30%	34,205	76.92%	44,469
Ward 7	35,536	98.52%	324	0.90%	209	0.58%	35,212	97.62%	36,069
Ward 8	31,980	98.82%	237	0.73%	145	0.45%	31,743	98.09%	32,362
Total	267,070	90.91%	21,381	7.28%	5,313	1.81%	245,689	83.63%	293,764

References

^ "General & Special 2012 - Certified Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections.
^ "2012 Presidential Election - District of Columbia". Politico. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
^ "District of Columbia Democratic Delegation 2012". www.thegreenpapers.com. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Primary Election 2012 - Certified Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
^ "Voting Precinct 2012". Open Data DC. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
^ "District of Columbia Democratic Delegation 2012". www.thegreenpapers.com. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
^ "Primary and Caucus Printable Calendar". CNN. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
^ "Presidential Primary Dates" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
^ "Washington DC Republican Presidential Nominating Process". The Green Papers. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
^ ^a ^b Howell Jr, Tom (December 29, 2011). "Romney 1st candidate to qualify for D.C. primary". The Washington Times.
^ ^a ^b "Draft Election Rules and Plan for the 2012 Presidential Preference Primary" (pdf). District of Columbia Republican Party. Retrieved April 24, 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ ^a ^b "Candidates to Appear on the Ballot for the April 3, 2012 Primary Election" (Press release). March 9, 2012. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012.
^ "District of Columbia Voter Guide: April 2, 2012 Primary Election" (pdf). District of Columbia Board of Elections. 2012. p. 17.
^ Lightman, David (April 2, 2012). "Romney May Win More Delegates in Maryland, D.C. Than In Wisconsin". Kansas City Star. McClatchy Newspapers.
^ ^a ^b "Unofficial Election Results: District of Columbia Primary Election - April 3, 2012". District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
^ "Download all precinct results in CSV (text) format" (csv). District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
^ ^a ^b "2012 GOP Superdelegate Endorsement List". Democratic Convention Watch. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
^ "D.C. Voter Registration Deadline Monday". NBCUniversal, Inc. Associated Press. March 5, 2012.
^ Hockenbery, John (August 28, 2012). "Republican Delegates from DC: The Realities of the 'Seven Percent'". The Takeaway. WNYC. Archived from the original on September 1, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
^ "Unofficial Election Results: District of Columbia Primary Election - April 3, 2012". District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2012.
^ Wright, James (February 15, 2012). "D.C. Political Roundup". The Washington Informer.
^ "Primary Election 2012 - Certified Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections. April 14, 2014 [April 3, 2012]. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
^ "Huffington Post Election Dashboard". HuffPost. Archived from the original on August 13, 2013.
^ "America's Choice 2012 Election Center: CNN Electoral Map". CNN. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013.
^ "Election 2012 - The Electoral Map: Building a Path to Victory". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012.
^ "2012 Presidential Election Results". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 26, 2012.
^ "RealClearPolitics - 2012 Election Maps - Battle for White House". Archived from the original on June 8, 2011.
^ "PROJECTION: OBAMA WILL LIKELY WIN SECOND TERM".
^ "Nate Silver's political calculations predict 2012 election outcome".
^ "Our Campaigns - DC US President Race - Nov 06, 2012". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved August 9, 2025.

External links

The Green Papers: for District of Columbia
The Green Papers: Major state elections in chronological order

[1] "General & Special 2012 - Certified Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections.

[2] "2012 Presidential Election - District of Columbia". Politico. Retrieved November 22, 2012.

[3] "District of Columbia Democratic Delegation 2012". www.thegreenpapers.com. Retrieved July 14, 2016.

[full_results-4] "Primary Election 2012 - Certified Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections. Retrieved May 26, 2024.

[5] "Voting Precinct 2012". Open Data DC. Retrieved May 26, 2024.

[6] "District of Columbia Democratic Delegation 2012". www.thegreenpapers.com. Retrieved June 19, 2016.

[7] "Primary and Caucus Printable Calendar". CNN. Retrieved January 22, 2012.

[8] "Presidential Primary Dates" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. Retrieved January 23, 2012.

[9] "Washington DC Republican Presidential Nominating Process". The Green Papers. Retrieved March 10, 2012.

[nosantorum-10] Howell Jr, Tom (December 29, 2011). "Romney 1st candidate to qualify for D.C. primary". The Washington Times.

[gopplan-11] "Draft Election Rules and Plan for the 2012 Presidential Preference Primary" (pdf). District of Columbia Republican Party. Retrieved April 24, 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}

[certified-12] "Candidates to Appear on the Ballot for the April 3, 2012 Primary Election" (Press release). March 9, 2012. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012.

[13] "District of Columbia Voter Guide: April 2, 2012 Primary Election" (pdf). District of Columbia Board of Elections. 2012. p. 17.

[delegates-14] Lightman, David (April 2, 2012). "Romney May Win More Delegates in Maryland, D.C. Than In Wisconsin". Kansas City Star. McClatchy Newspapers.

[DCPresResults-15] "Unofficial Election Results: District of Columbia Primary Election - April 3, 2012". District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2012.

[16] "Download all precinct results in CSV (text) format" (csv). District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2012.

[dcsuperdelegates-17] "2012 GOP Superdelegate Endorsement List". Democratic Convention Watch. Retrieved April 23, 2012.

[18] "D.C. Voter Registration Deadline Monday". NBCUniversal, Inc. Associated Press. March 5, 2012.

[19] Hockenbery, John (August 28, 2012). "Republican Delegates from DC: The Realities of the 'Seven Percent'". The Takeaway. WNYC. Archived from the original on September 1, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2012.

[20] "Unofficial Election Results: District of Columbia Primary Election - April 3, 2012". District of Columbia Board of Elections and Ethics. April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2012.

[21] Wright, James (February 15, 2012). "D.C. Political Roundup". The Washington Informer.

[22] "Primary Election 2012 - Certified Results". District of Columbia Board of Elections. April 14, 2014 [April 3, 2012]. Retrieved September 9, 2024.

[23] "Huffington Post Election Dashboard". HuffPost. Archived from the original on August 13, 2013.

[24] "America's Choice 2012 Election Center: CNN Electoral Map". CNN. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013.

[25] "Election 2012 - The Electoral Map: Building a Path to Victory". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012.

[26] "2012 Presidential Election Results". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 26, 2012.

[27] "RealClearPolitics - 2012 Election Maps - Battle for White House". Archived from the original on June 8, 2011.

[28] "PROJECTION: OBAMA WILL LIKELY WIN SECOND TERM".

[29] "Nate Silver's political calculations predict 2012 election outcome".

[30] "Our Campaigns - DC US President Race - Nov 06, 2012". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved August 9, 2025.

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2012 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia

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2012 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia

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2012 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia

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