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 leading news organizations making election predictions considered this a state Romney would win, or otherwise considered as a safe red state. Alongside neighboring Wyoming & Idaho, Utah has voted for the Republican ticket in each presidential election starting in 1968 and all but one starting 1952. Utah was 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. 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 election, and it would also be Romney's largest outperformance of John McCain in 2008, winning the state by almost 20 points more. Romney was elected as a United States senator from Utah six years later in 2018, having moved there in 2014. 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 it remains so as of 2024.

As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the most recent time any presidential candidate has received more than 60% of the vote in Utah, as well as the last time any presidential candidate has carried every county. It is also the most recent election in which Salt Lake and Summit Counties have voted for the Republican presidential nominee. 2012 is also the most recent time that Utah has been the most Republican state in a presidential election.

Primary elections

Democratic primary 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 primary

The 2012 Utah Republican presidential primary took place on 26 June 2012. 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 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.

2012 Utah Republican presidential primary Candidate Votes Percentage Delegates Mitt Romney 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 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

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) Write-in access: Andre Nigel Barnett / Ken Cross, Reform

Results 2012 United States presidential election in UtahPartyCandidateRunning mateVotesPercentageElectoral votes Republican Mitt Romney Paul Ryan 740,600 72.55%6 Democratic Barack Obama (incumbent) Joe Biden (incumbent) 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 3,460 0.34% 0 Totals 1,020,861 100.00% 6

By county CountyMitt RomneyRepublicanBarack ObamaDemocraticGary JohnsonLibertarianVarious candidatesOther partiesMarginTotal votes cast # % # % # % # % # %Beaver2,17484.92%34613.52%170.66%230.90%1,82871.40%2,560Box Elder17,10188.11%1,98410.22%1500.77%1730.89%15,11777.89%19,408Cache35,03982.85%6,24414.76%5431.28%4671.10%28,79568.09%42,293Carbon5,09067.27%2,27530.06%881.16%1141.51%2,81537.21%7,567Daggett40678.08%9418.08%163.08%40.77%31260.00%520Davis96,86180.00%21,88918.08%1,2171.01%1,1020.91%74,97261.92%121,069Duchesne5,69889.32%5819.11%410.64%590.92%5,11780.21%6,379Emery3,77784.90%56912.79%481.08%551.23%3,20872.11%4,449Garfield1,83283.96%30814.12%170.78%251.15%1,52469.84%2,182Grand1,99650.53%1,72743.72%711.80%1563.95%2696.81%3,950Iron14,20084.47%2,14812.78%2021.20%2611.55%12,05271.69%16,811Juab3,44885.99%45111.25%270.67%842.09%2,99774.74%4,010Kane2,52274.81%74422.07%471.39%581.72%1,77852.74%3,371Millard4,47888.59%4318.53%430.85%1032.04%4,04780.06%5,055Morgan4,11489.49%4038.77%360.78%440.95%3,71180.72%4,597Piute69789.13%749.46%50.64%60.77%62379.67%782Rich91590.15%838.18%60.59%111.09%83281.97%1,015Salt Lake223,81158.26%146,14738.04%5,5211.44%8,6952.26%77,66420.22%384,174San Juan3,07457.92%2,13940.31%420.79%520.98%93517.61%5,307Sanpete8,40688.05%98010.27%690.72%920.96%7,42677.78%9,547Sevier7,20789.32%7389.15%560.69%680.84%6,46980.17%8,069Summit8,88450.49%8,07245.87%3011.71%3401.93%8124.62%17,597Tooele14,26873.77%4,52423.39%2321.20%3181.64%9,74450.38%19,342Uintah10,42189.75%9978.59%710.61%1221.05%9,42481.16%11,611Utah156,95088.32%17,2819.72%2,1201.19%1,3620.77%139,66978.60%177,713Wasatch7,22074.90%2,19122.73%900.93%1391.45%5,02952.17%9,640Washington44,69882.43%8,33715.37%5411.00%6501.19%36,36167.06%54,226Wayne1,08982.06%21516.20%60.45%171.28%87465.86%1,327Weber54,22471.08%19,84126.01%9491.24%1,2761.68%34,38345.07%76,290Totals740,60072.55%251,81324.67%12,5721.23%15,8761.55%488,78747.88%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 one that elected a Democrat. District Romney Obama Representative 77% 20%Rob Bishop 68% 29%Chris Stewart 78% 19%Jason Chaffetz 67% 30%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

External links The Green Papers: for Utah The Green Papers: Major state elections in chronological order