The 2012 United States presidential election in West Virginia 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. West Virginia voters chose five 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.
Mitt Romney defeated Barack Obama in the state of West Virginia by a landslide 26.69-point margin. The Republican ticket took 62.14% of the vote to the Democratic ticket's 35.45%, sweeping every county in the state. Romney became the first presidential candidate from any party since West Virginia's admission to the Union in 1863 to sweep every single county in the state and the first since Richard Nixon in 1972 to carry over 60% of the state's votes.Thomas, G. Scott; The Pursuit of the White House: A Handbook of Presidential Election Statistics and History, pp. 459-460
This represented a historic loss for the Democrats in West Virginia, which had been a Democratic stronghold from the New Deal up through the 1990s. Obama became the first Democrat since statehood to win the presidency without carrying Webster County, Jefferson County, or Braxton County. Obama is the only Democrat to ever win two terms without carrying the state at least once. However, Obama did win neighboring Virginia twice, becoming the first Democrat to win Virginia twice since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940 and 1944.
With 62.14% of the popular vote, West Virginia would prove to be Romney's fifth strongest state in the 2012 election after Utah, Wyoming, Oklahoma and Idaho. As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last time the Democratic nominee has received more than 30% of the vote in West Virginia.
Primary elections Democratic primary
Barack Obama defeated Keith Judd, a convicted felon serving a federal prison sentence in Texarkana, TX, by a surprisingly narrow 59% to 41%.
Republican primary
The Republican primary took place on May 8, 2012.
Results + West Virginia Republican primary, 2012 Candidate Votes Percentage Projected delegate count CNN GP Mitt Romney 78,197 69.56% 24 Rick Santorum (withdrawn) 13,590 12.09% 2 Ron Paul 12,412 11.04% 0 Newt Gingrich (withdrawn) 7,076 6.29% 0 Buddy Roemer (withdrawn) 1,141 1.01% 0 Unprojected delegates 31 5 Total: 112,416 100% 31 31
Results by county + County Mitt Romney Ron Paul Rick Santorum(withdrawn) Newt Gingrich(withdrawn) Buddy Roemer(withdrawn)Barbour66.96% (983)9.20% (135)15.94% (234)7.49% (110)0.41% (6)Berkeley69.31% (4366)14.92% (940)10.29% (648)4.84% (305)0.64% (40)Boone70.28% (454)10.68% (69)14.55% (94)3.41% (22)1.08% (7)Braxton68.44% (399)13.89% (81)12.35% (72)4.12% (24)1.20% (7)Brooke69.46% (778)10.36% (116)15.09% (169)4.64% (52)0.45% (5)Cabell69.09% (3351)12.60% (611)11.34% (550)5.77% (280)1.20% (58)Calhoun66.78% (191)11.89% (34)12.24% (35)5.59% (16)3.50% (10)Clay67.01% (262)10.49% (41)13.30% (52)7.42% (29)1.79% (7)Doddridge67.36% (997)10.61% (157)12.23% (181)8.31% (123)1.49% (22)Fayette66.54% (891)12.02% (161)12.70% (170)7.17% (96)1.57% (21)Gilmer70.44% (255)7.73% (28)11.05% (40)9.94% (36)0.83% (3)Grant78.16% (1403)6.07% (109)8.30% (149)6.35% (114)1.11% (20)Greenbrier68.13% (1366)11.12% (223)13.12% (263)6.43% (129)1.20% (24)Hampshire72.70% (1270)8.59% (150)12.08% (211)5.72% (100)0.92% (16)Hancock70.04% (1302)11.62% (216)13.07% (243)3.98% (74)1.29% (24)Hardy69.75% (611)8.22% (72)13.93% (122)6.62% (58)1.48% (13)Harrison67.88% (2715)10.95% (438)12.03% (481)8.25% (330)0.90% (36)Jackson65.87% (2030)11.36% (350)13.98% (431)7.66% (236)1.14% (35)Jefferson67.98% (1771)16.08% (419)10.13% (264)4.99% (130)0.81% (21)Kanawha71.73% (7295)11.62% (1182)10.55% (1073)5.18% (527)0.91% (93)Lewis73.98% (1288)7.41% (129)10.17% (177)7.35% (128)1.09% (19)Lincoln71.69% (504)8.53% (60)10.38% (73)7.54% (53)1.85% (13)Logan67.71% (388)9.77% (56)15.01% (86)6.46% (37)1.05% (6)Marion64.57% (1775)11.13% (306)15.61% (429)6.91% (190)1.78% (49)Marshall71.67% (1687)8.54% (201)13.04% (307)5.82% (137)0.93% (22)Mason66.04% (1641)11.11% (276)13.48% (335)7.69% (191)1.69% (42)McDowell62.81% (152)12.81% (31)15.70% (38)8.26% (20)0.41% (1)Mercer72.24% (1884)8.51% (222)12.08% (315)6.40% (167)0.77% (20)Mineral70.54% (1722)10.00% (244)12.04% (294)6.72% (164)0.70% (17)Mingo69.21% (272)7.63% (30)12.21% (48)8.91% (35)2.04% (8)Monongalia66.40% (2826)14.14% (602)11.63% (495)6.72% (286)1.10% (47)Monroe65.27% (671)12.55% (129)12.16% (125)8.46% (87)1.56% (16)Morgan68.77% (1240)13.09% (236)11.09% (200)5.60% (101)1.44% (26)Nicholas69.78% (875)9.81% (123)12.28% (154)7.10% (89)1.04% (13)Ohio76.43% (2775)8.84% (321)10.52% (382)3.58% (130)0.63% (23)Pendleton75.64% (354)7.26% (34)11.54% (54)4.70% (22)0.85% (4)Pleasants66.26% (381)10.78% (62)16.70% (96)5.57% (32)0.70% (4)Pocahontas63.05% (558)14.01% (124)13.56% (120)8.47% (75)0.90% (8)Preston66.95% (2032)10.48% (318)15.32% (465)6.39% (194)0.86% (26)Putnam70.34% (3891)11.26% (623)12.26% (678)5.28% (292)0.87% (48)Raleigh73.23% (2992)7.73% (316)11.75% (480)6.78% (277)0.51% (21)Randolph68.43% (969)9.25% (131)13.14% (186)7.84% (111)1.34% (19)Ritchie65.27% (1000)13.97% (214)12.01% (184)7.18% (110)1.57% (24)Roane69.95% (866)9.94% (123)11.31% (140)7.43% (92)1.37% (17)Summers67.24% (388)10.40% (60)11.96% (69)9.01% (52)1.39% (8)Taylor67.82% (784)11.76% (136)12.63% (146)7.44% (86)0.35% (4)Tucker69.29% (422)11.33% (69)9.85% (60)9.03% (55)0.49% (3)Tyler68.46% (675)11.76% (116)11.97% (118)6.39% (63)1.42% (14)Upshur69.12% (2344)9.20% (312)13.65% (463)6.69% (227)1.33% (45)Wayne66.79% (1076)10.12% (163)14.65% (236)7.76% (125)0.68% (11)Webster64.65% (139)10.70% (23)15.35% (33)6.98% (15)2.33% (5)Wetzel69.53% (566)8.35% (68)16.46% (134)5.28% (43)0.37% (3)Wirt63.00% (332)11.57% (61)16.32% (86)8.92% (47)0.19% (1)Wood70.20% (5422)11.64% (899)10.72% (828)6.42% (496)1.02% (79)Wyoming75.58% (616)7.61% (62)9.08% (74)6.87% (56)0.86% (7)
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
By county CountyMitt RomneyRepublicanBarack ObamaDemocraticVarious candidatesOther partiesMarginTotal#%#%#%#%Barbour3,82466.19%1,76830.60%1853.21%2,05635.59%5,777Berkeley22,15659.39%14,27538.26%8762.35%7,88121.13%37,307Boone5,46764.30%2,79032.82%2452.88%2,67731.48%8,502Braxton2,72556.65%1,99841.54%871.81%72715.11%4,810Brooke5,06054.25%4,00542.94%2632.81%1,05511.31%9,328Cabell17,98555.93%13,56842.19%6051.88%4,41713.74%32,158Calhoun1,31959.68%81837.01%733.31%50122.67%2,210Clay1,97165.31%93130.85%1163.84%1,04034.46%3,018Doddridge2,13076.78%57520.73%692.49%1,55556.05%2,774Fayette8,35059.35%5,41938.51%3012.14%2,93120.84%14,070Gilmer1,59563.24%84033.31%873.45%75529.93%2,522Grant3,78382.45%71815.65%871.90%3,06566.80%4,588Greenbrier7,93060.98%4,71036.22%3652.80%3,22024.76%13,005Hampshire5,52368.87%2,29928.67%1972.46%3,22440.20%8,019Hancock7,22659.47%4,62738.08%2972.45%2,59921.39%12,150Hardy3,53668.25%1,48228.60%1633.15%2,05439.65%5,181Harrison15,87660.43%9,73237.04%6632.53%6,14423.39%26,271Jackson7,40863.90%3,85433.24%3322.86%3,55430.66%11,594Jefferson11,25850.63%10,39846.76%5802.61%8603.87%22,236Kanawha41,36454.92%32,48043.13%1,4681.95%8,88411.79%75,312Lewis4,37569.51%1,73627.58%1832.91%2,63941.93%6,294Lincoln4,38364.29%2,22732.66%2083.05%2,15631.63%6,818Logan8,22268.68%3,46928.98%2812.34%4,75339.70%11,972Marion12,05455.93%8,95941.57%5402.50%3,09514.36%21,553Marshall8,13562.77%4,48434.60%3412.63%3,65128.17%12,960Mason5,74158.64%3,77838.59%2712.77%1,96320.05%9,790McDowell3,95963.98%2,10934.08%1201.94%1,85029.90%6,188Mercer15,45072.49%5,43225.49%4312.02%10,01847.00%21,313Mineral7,83371.29%2,88526.26%2702.45%4,94845.03%10,988Mingo6,19169.92%2,42827.42%2362.66%3,76342.50%8,855Monongalia16,83153.28%13,82643.77%9342.95%3,0059.51%31,591Monroe3,61669.11%1,45527.81%1613.08%2,16141.30%5,232Morgan4,51363.82%2,36333.42%1952.76%2,15030.40%7,071Nicholas5,89867.09%2,66430.30%2292.61%3,23436.79%8,791Ohio10,76859.96%6,78637.79%4052.25%3,98222.17%17,959Pendleton2,09564.34%1,07432.99%872.67%1,02131.35%3,256Pleasants1,82564.24%95533.61%612.15%87030.63%2,841Pocahontas2,18260.76%1,30336.29%1062.95%87924.47%3,591Preston7,88970.54%2,93126.21%3633.25%4,95844.33%11,183Putnam16,03267.47%7,25630.54%4721.99%8,77636.93%23,760Raleigh20,61471.48%7,73926.84%4841.68%12,87544.64%28,837Randolph6,16063.00%3,34234.18%2762.82%2,81828.82%9,778Ritchie2,92177.07%76820.26%1012.67%2,15356.81%3,790Roane2,98258.93%1,93938.32%1392.75%1,04320.61%5,060Summers2,98162.84%1,62134.17%1422.99%1,36028.67%4,744Taylor3,84064.85%1,94132.78%1402.37%1,89932.07%5,921Tucker2,17669.34%88028.04%822.62%1,29641.30%3,138Tyler2,31470.44%89027.09%812.47%1,42443.35%3,285Upshur5,93971.57%2,15826.01%2012.42%3,78145.56%8,298Wayne8,68862.02%4,93135.20%3902.78%3,75726.82%14,009Webster1,71061.67%94734.15%1164.18%76327.52%2,773Wetzel3,47359.11%2,21737.74%1853.15%1,25621.37%5,875Wirt1,42765.73%67631.14%683.13%75134.59%2,171Wood22,18365.10%11,23032.96%6631.94%10,95332.14%34,076Wyoming5,76976.65%1,58321.03%1742.32%4,18655.62%7,526Totals417,65562.14%238,26935.45%16,1952.41%179,38626.69%672,119
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Boone (largest city: Madison) Braxton (largest town: Sutton) Jefferson (largest city: Charles Town) Marion (largest city: Fairmont) McDowell (largest city: Welch) Monongalia (largest city: Morgantown) Webster (largest town: Webster Springs)
By congressional district Romney won all three congressional districts, including one held by a Democrat.
District Romney Obama Representative 62.18% 35.54%David McKinley 60% 37.97%Shelley Moore Capito 65% 32.79%Nick Rahall
See also 2012 Republican Party presidential debates 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries Results of the 2012 Republican Party presidential primaries West Virginia Republican Party
References
External links The Green Papers: for West Virginia The Green Papers: Major state elections in chronological order