2012 United States presidential election in Alaska
The 2012 United States presidential election in Alaska 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. Alaska 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.
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| Elections in Alaska |
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Prior to the election, 17 news organizations considered this a state Romney would win, or otherwise considered as a safe red state. Romney won the state of Alaska with 54.80% of the vote, while Obama received 40.81%. This was the first time since 1968 that a Democrat received more than 40% of the vote in Alaska. No Democrat has won Alaska since it was won by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.
Although Romney easily won its three electoral votes, it was one of six states to swing toward Obama relative to 2008, when Alaska was won with a 21.5% margin of victory by Republican nominee John McCain running with the incumbent governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin, as his vice-presidential candidate. Obama closed his margin of defeat by 7.55% compared to his 2008 loss, thereby making it the state with the strongest Democratic gain in 2012.
He also flipped seven boroughs and census areas he had lost in 2008. As of the 2020 election, this is the last election in which Haines Borough voted for the Republican candidate.