The 2012 United States presidential election in Maine 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. Maine voters chose four 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 and Biden carried Maine with 56.27% of the popular vote to Romney's and Ryan's 40.98%, thus winning the state's four electoral votes.

As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last election that the Democratic candidate won Maine's second congressional district along with a majority of counties in the state, as well as these counties (all of which comprise that district): Androscoggin, Aroostook, Franklin, Oxford, Penobscot, Somerset, and Washington. This is also the last election in which Maine was won by double digits.

Caucuses Democratic caucuses

Republican caucuses

The Republican caucuses were held between Sunday, January 29, and Saturday, March 3, at various locations throughout the state of Maine. Presidential preference polls (straw polls) were held at the caucuses, but those polls were not binding on the choices of delegates to the Maine Republican Party convention. The caucuses chose delegates in processes separate from the straw polling.

The state party encouraged all municipal committees to hold their caucuses between February 4 and February 11, although each committee was free to choose a different date. The first caucus was in Waldo County on January 29 and the last one in Castine (Hancock County) on March 3. On Saturday, February 11, after 84% of precincts had completed voting, state-party officials announced results of straw polls. The results were revised in a second declaration on February 17 to include previously missing results from several caucuses. Those statewide totals still did not include the caucuses in Washington County, which had been scheduled for February 11 but postponed to February 18 by predictions of bad weather, nor did they include caucuses originally scheduled to occur between February 16 and March 3. The state Republican Party issued a third statewide compilation on February 24, adding all the February 18 caucuses (scheduled and postponed), but not those for February 16 or March 3. All three statewide totals showed former Governor Mitt Romney leading Representative Ron Paul by small margins, with other candidates well behind.

At the State Convention held over the weekend of May 5–6, Ron Paul won 20 out of 24 national delegates. One elected delegate, Governor Paul LePage was uncommitted. Of the three delegates qualified by the party offices they already hold, the state party chairman, Charlie Webster was also uncommitted, while the then National Committeeman and Committeewoman committed to Mitt Romney.

Updated results were released by the Maine GOP on February 24. The new table does not show returns from Rome on February 16 or Castine on March 3, but does include returns from the towns listed above for February 18.

Maine Republican caucuses, 2012 Candidate Votes (Feb. 11 count) Votes (Feb. 17 count) Votes (Feb. 24 count) Percent (Feb. 11 count) Percent (Feb. 17 count) Percent (Feb. 24 count) Projected Delegates Chosen at State Convention GPThe Green Papers, "2012 Maine Republican Caucus" (February 29, 2012). The Green Papers.CNNCNN, "Republican Caucuses" (February 12, 2012). CNN.APUSA Today, "2012 Maine Republican Caucus" (February 25, 2012). USA Today. Mitt Romney 2,190 2,269 2,373 39.2% 39.0% 38.0% 10 9 11 0Ron Paul 1,996 2,030 2,258 35.7% 34.9% 36.1% 8 9 10 20 Rick Santorum 989 1,052 1,136 17.7% 18.1% 18.2% 4 3 0 0Newt Gingrich 349 391 405 6.2% 6.7% 6.5% 1 0 0 0Others & undecided 61 72 78 1.1% 1.2% 1.2% 0 0 0 1Total: 5,585 5,814 6,250 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 21 21 21 21 Ex officio delegates (not chosen through caucus process): 1 3 3 3 Total Maine delegates to the Republican National Convention: 24 24 24 24

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 Source1st district2nd districtAs of New York Times November 6, 2012Sabato's Crystal Ball November 5, 2012

Results 2012 United States presidential election in MainePartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Democratic Barack Obama (incumbent) Joe Biden (incumbent) 401,306 56.27% 4 Republican Mitt Romney Paul Ryan 292,276 40.98% 0 Libertarian Gary Johnson Jim Gray 9,352 1.31% 0 Green Jill Stein Cheri Honkala 8,119 1.14% 0 Write-ins Write-ins 2,127 0.30% 0 Totals 724,758 100.00% 4

By county

County Barack ObamaDemocratic Mitt RomneyRepublican Various candidatesOther parties Margin Total votes cast # % # % # % # %Androscoggin 28,989 54.84% 22,232 42.06% 1,641 3.10% 6,757 12.78% 52,862Aroostook 17,777 52.50% 15,196 44.88% 887 2.62% 2,581 7.62% 33,860Cumberland 101,950 62.25% 57,821 35.30% 4,015 2.45% 44,129 26.95% 163,786Franklin 9,367 57.53% 6,369 39.12% 546 3.35% 2,998 18.41% 16,282Hancock 17,569 57.04% 12,324 40.01% 906 2.95% 5,245 17.03% 30,799Kennebec 35,068 55.23% 26,519 41.76% 1,910 3.01% 8,549 13.47% 63,497Knox 13,223 59.92% 8,248 37.38% 596 2.70% 4,975 22.54% 22,067Lincoln 11,315 54.51% 8,899 42.87% 543 2.62% 2,416 11.64% 20,757Oxford 16,330 55.51% 11,996 40.77% 1,094 3.72% 4,334 14.74% 29,420Penobscot 38,811 50.20% 36,547 47.28% 1,948 2.52% 2,264 2.92% 77,306Piscataquis 4,149 46.33% 4,530 50.59% 276 3.08% -381 -4.26% 8,955Sagadahoc 11,821 56.85% 8,429 40.54% 544 2.61% 3,392 16.31% 20,794Somerset 12,216 49.28% 11,800 47.61% 771 3.11% 416 1.67% 24,787Waldo 11,296 53.63% 9,058 43.01% 707 3.36% 2,238 10.62% 21,061Washington 7,803 49.27% 7,550 47.68% 483 3.05% 253 1.59% 15,836York 61,551 56.96% 43,900 40.63% 2,606 2.41% 17,651 16.33% 108,057Total401,30656.27%292,27640.98%19,5982.75%109,03015.29%713,180

By congressional district Obama won both of Maine's two congressional districts.

District Obama Romney Representative 59.57% 38.18%Chellie Pingree 52.94% 44.38%Mike Michaud

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

References

External links Official website of the Maine Republican Party Rules and By Laws of the Party County and Town Republican Committees: Many of these sites show the county or town committee's own tally of presidential caucus results. Kennebec County Republican Committee (not linked from the state party's site) The Green Papers: for Maine The Green Papers: Major state elections in chronological order Official Results for 2012 elections in Maine