# 2012 United States presidential election in West Virginia

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vte :
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.
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 also the only president since statehood to win two terms without ever winning the state once. 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 | Projected delegate count |
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | 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| Rick Santorum (withdrawn) | 13,590 | 12.09% | | 2 |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| Newt Gingrich (withdrawn) | 7,076 | 6.29% | | 0 |
| Buddy Roemer (withdrawn) | 1,141 | 1.01% | | 0 |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 | Unprojected delegates | 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) |
| Barbour | 66.96% (983) | 9.20% (135) | 15.94% (234) | 7.49% (110) | 0.41% (6) |
| Berkeley | 69.31% (4366) | 14.92% (940) | 10.29% (648) | 4.84% (305) | 0.64% (40) |
| Boone | 70.28% (454) | 10.68% (69) | 14.55% (94) | 3.41% (22) | 1.08% (7) |
| Braxton | 68.44% (399) | 13.89% (81) | 12.35% (72) | 4.12% (24) | 1.20% (7) |
| Brooke | 69.46% (778) | 10.36% (116) | 15.09% (169) | 4.64% (52) | 0.45% (5) |
| Cabell | 69.09% (3351) | 12.60% (611) | 11.34% (550) | 5.77% (280) | 1.20% (58) |
| Calhoun | 66.78% (191) | 11.89% (34) | 12.24% (35) | 5.59% (16) | 3.50% (10) |
| Clay | 67.01% (262) | 10.49% (41) | 13.30% (52) | 7.42% (29) | 1.79% (7) |
| Doddridge | 67.36% (997) | 10.61% (157) | 12.23% (181) | 8.31% (123) | 1.49% (22) |
| Fayette | 66.54% (891) | 12.02% (161) | 12.70% (170) | 7.17% (96) | 1.57% (21) |
| Gilmer | 70.44% (255) | 7.73% (28) | 11.05% (40) | 9.94% (36) | 0.83% (3) |
| Grant | 78.16% (1403) | 6.07% (109) | 8.30% (149) | 6.35% (114) | 1.11% (20) |
| Greenbrier | 68.13% (1366) | 11.12% (223) | 13.12% (263) | 6.43% (129) | 1.20% (24) |
| Hampshire | 72.70% (1270) | 8.59% (150) | 12.08% (211) | 5.72% (100) | 0.92% (16) |
| Hancock | 70.04% (1302) | 11.62% (216) | 13.07% (243) | 3.98% (74) | 1.29% (24) |
| Hardy | 69.75% (611) | 8.22% (72) | 13.93% (122) | 6.62% (58) | 1.48% (13) |
| Harrison | 67.88% (2715) | 10.95% (438) | 12.03% (481) | 8.25% (330) | 0.90% (36) |
| Jackson | 65.87% (2030) | 11.36% (350) | 13.98% (431) | 7.66% (236) | 1.14% (35) |
| Jefferson | 67.98% (1771) | 16.08% (419) | 10.13% (264) | 4.99% (130) | 0.81% (21) |
| Kanawha | 71.73% (7295) | 11.62% (1182) | 10.55% (1073) | 5.18% (527) | 0.91% (93) |
| Lewis | 73.98% (1288) | 7.41% (129) | 10.17% (177) | 7.35% (128) | 1.09% (19) |
| Lincoln | 71.69% (504) | 8.53% (60) | 10.38% (73) | 7.54% (53) | 1.85% (13) |
| Logan | 67.71% (388) | 9.77% (56) | 15.01% (86) | 6.46% (37) | 1.05% (6) |
| Marion | 64.57% (1775) | 11.13% (306) | 15.61% (429) | 6.91% (190) | 1.78% (49) |
| Marshall | 71.67% (1687) | 8.54% (201) | 13.04% (307) | 5.82% (137) | 0.93% (22) |
| Mason | 66.04% (1641) | 11.11% (276) | 13.48% (335) | 7.69% (191) | 1.69% (42) |
| McDowell | 62.81% (152) | 12.81% (31) | 15.70% (38) | 8.26% (20) | 0.41% (1) |
| Mercer | 72.24% (1884) | 8.51% (222) | 12.08% (315) | 6.40% (167) | 0.77% (20) |
| Mineral | 70.54% (1722) | 10.00% (244) | 12.04% (294) | 6.72% (164) | 0.70% (17) |
| Mingo | 69.21% (272) | 7.63% (30) | 12.21% (48) | 8.91% (35) | 2.04% (8) |
| Monongalia | 66.40% (2826) | 14.14% (602) | 11.63% (495) | 6.72% (286) | 1.10% (47) |
| Monroe | 65.27% (671) | 12.55% (129) | 12.16% (125) | 8.46% (87) | 1.56% (16) |
| Morgan | 68.77% (1240) | 13.09% (236) | 11.09% (200) | 5.60% (101) | 1.44% (26) |
| Nicholas | 69.78% (875) | 9.81% (123) | 12.28% (154) | 7.10% (89) | 1.04% (13) |
| Ohio | 76.43% (2775) | 8.84% (321) | 10.52% (382) | 3.58% (130) | 0.63% (23) |
| Pendleton | 75.64% (354) | 7.26% (34) | 11.54% (54) | 4.70% (22) | 0.85% (4) |
| Pleasants | 66.26% (381) | 10.78% (62) | 16.70% (96) | 5.57% (32) | 0.70% (4) |
| Pocahontas | 63.05% (558) | 14.01% (124) | 13.56% (120) | 8.47% (75) | 0.90% (8) |
| Preston | 66.95% (2032) | 10.48% (318) | 15.32% (465) | 6.39% (194) | 0.86% (26) |
| Putnam | 70.34% (3891) | 11.26% (623) | 12.26% (678) | 5.28% (292) | 0.87% (48) |
| Raleigh | 73.23% (2992) | 7.73% (316) | 11.75% (480) | 6.78% (277) | 0.51% (21) |
| Randolph | 68.43% (969) | 9.25% (131) | 13.14% (186) | 7.84% (111) | 1.34% (19) |
| Ritchie | 65.27% (1000) | 13.97% (214) | 12.01% (184) | 7.18% (110) | 1.57% (24) |
| Roane | 69.95% (866) | 9.94% (123) | 11.31% (140) | 7.43% (92) | 1.37% (17) |
| Summers | 67.24% (388) | 10.40% (60) | 11.96% (69) | 9.01% (52) | 1.39% (8) |
| Taylor | 67.82% (784) | 11.76% (136) | 12.63% (146) | 7.44% (86) | 0.35% (4) |
| Tucker | 69.29% (422) | 11.33% (69) | 9.85% (60) | 9.03% (55) | 0.49% (3) |
| Tyler | 68.46% (675) | 11.76% (116) | 11.97% (118) | 6.39% (63) | 1.42% (14) |
| Upshur | 69.12% (2344) | 9.20% (312) | 13.65% (463) | 6.69% (227) | 1.33% (45) |
| Wayne | 66.79% (1076) | 10.12% (163) | 14.65% (236) | 7.76% (125) | 0.68% (11) |
| Webster | 64.65% (139) | 10.70% (23) | 15.35% (33) | 6.98% (15) | 2.33% (5) |
| Wetzel | 69.53% (566) | 8.35% (68) | 16.46% (134) | 5.28% (43) | 0.37% (3) |
| Wirt | 63.00% (332) | 11.57% (61) | 16.32% (86) | 8.92% (47) | 0.19% (1) |
| Wood | 70.20% (5422) | 11.64% (899) | 10.72% (828) | 6.42% (496) | 1.02% (79) |
| Wyoming | 75.58% (616) | 7.61% (62) | 9.08% (74) | 6.87% (56) | 0.86% (7) |

## General election
### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| Huffington Post | Safe R | November 6, 2012 |
| CNN | Safe R | November 6, 2012 |
| New York Times | Safe R | November 6, 2012 |
| Washington Post | Safe R | November 6, 2012 |
| RealClearPolitics | Solid R | November 6, 2012 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Solid R | November 5, 2012 |
| FiveThirtyEight | Solid R | November 6, 2012 |

### Results

2012 United States presidential election in West Virginia :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Running mate | Popular vote | Popular vote | Electoral vote | Electoral vote | Swing |
| Party | Party | Candidate | Running mate | Count | % | Count | % | Swing |
| | Republican | Mitt Romney of Massachusetts | Paul Ryan of Wisconsin | 417,655 | 62.14% | 5 | 100.00% | 6.70% |
| | Democratic | Barack Obama of Illinois (incumbent) | Joe Biden of Delaware (incumbent) | 238,269 | 35.45% | 0 | 0.00% | 6.97% |
| | Libertarian | Gary Johnson of New Mexico | James P. Gray of California | 6,302 | 0.94% | 0 | 0.00% | 0.94% |
| | Mountain | Jill Stein of Massachusetts | Cheri Honkala of Pennsylvania | 4,406 | 0.66% | 0 | 0.00% | 0.33% |
| | Independent | Randall Terry of West Virginia | N/A of N/A | 3,806 | 0.57% | 0 | 0.00% | 0.57% |
| | Write-in | Various of Various | Various of Various | 1,502 | 0.22% | 0 | 0.00% | 0.03% |
| | Constitution | Virgil Goode (write-in) of Virginia | Jim Clymer of Pennsylvania | 119 | 0.02% | 0 | 0.00% | 0.32% |
| | Peace and Freedom | Roseanne Barr (write-in) of Hawaii | Cindy Sheehan of California | 31 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | |
| | Justice | Rocky Anderson (write-in) of Utah | Luis J. Rodriguez of California | 12 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | |
| | American Third Position | Merlin Miller (write-in) of Iowa | Virginia Abernethy of Arizona | 12 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | |
| | American Independent | Tom Hoefling (write-in) of Iowa | Robert Ornelas of California | 5 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | |
| | Independent | Richard Duncan (write-in) of - | - of - | 1 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 672,119 | 100.00% | 5 | 100.00% |

#### By county

| County | Mitt Romney Republican | Mitt Romney Republican | Barack Obama Democratic | Barack Obama Democratic | Various candidates Other parties | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Margin | Total |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total |
| Barbour | 3,824 | 66.19% | 1,768 | 30.60% | 185 | 3.21% | 2,056 | 35.59% | 5,777 |
| Berkeley | 22,156 | 59.39% | 14,275 | 38.26% | 876 | 2.35% | 7,881 | 21.13% | 37,307 |
| Boone | 5,467 | 64.30% | 2,790 | 32.82% | 245 | 2.88% | 2,677 | 31.48% | 8,502 |
| Braxton | 2,725 | 56.65% | 1,998 | 41.54% | 87 | 1.81% | 727 | 15.11% | 4,810 |
| Brooke | 5,060 | 54.25% | 4,005 | 42.94% | 263 | 2.81% | 1,055 | 11.31% | 9,328 |
| Cabell | 17,985 | 55.93% | 13,568 | 42.19% | 605 | 1.88% | 4,417 | 13.74% | 32,158 |
| Calhoun | 1,319 | 59.68% | 818 | 37.01% | 73 | 3.31% | 501 | 22.67% | 2,210 |
| Clay | 1,971 | 65.31% | 931 | 30.85% | 116 | 3.84% | 1,040 | 34.46% | 3,018 |
| Doddridge | 2,130 | 76.78% | 575 | 20.73% | 69 | 2.49% | 1,555 | 56.05% | 2,774 |
| Fayette | 8,350 | 59.35% | 5,419 | 38.51% | 301 | 2.14% | 2,931 | 20.84% | 14,070 |
| Gilmer | 1,595 | 63.24% | 840 | 33.31% | 87 | 3.45% | 755 | 29.93% | 2,522 |
| Grant | 3,783 | 82.45% | 718 | 15.65% | 87 | 1.90% | 3,065 | 66.80% | 4,588 |
| Greenbrier | 7,930 | 60.98% | 4,710 | 36.22% | 365 | 2.80% | 3,220 | 24.76% | 13,005 |
| Hampshire | 5,523 | 68.87% | 2,299 | 28.67% | 197 | 2.46% | 3,224 | 40.20% | 8,019 |
| Hancock | 7,226 | 59.47% | 4,627 | 38.08% | 297 | 2.45% | 2,599 | 21.39% | 12,150 |
| Hardy | 3,536 | 68.25% | 1,482 | 28.60% | 163 | 3.15% | 2,054 | 39.65% | 5,181 |
| Harrison | 15,876 | 60.43% | 9,732 | 37.04% | 663 | 2.53% | 6,144 | 23.39% | 26,271 |
| Jackson | 7,408 | 63.90% | 3,854 | 33.24% | 332 | 2.86% | 3,554 | 30.66% | 11,594 |
| Jefferson | 11,258 | 50.63% | 10,398 | 46.76% | 580 | 2.61% | 860 | 3.87% | 22,236 |
| Kanawha | 41,364 | 54.92% | 32,480 | 43.13% | 1,468 | 1.95% | 8,884 | 11.79% | 75,312 |
| Lewis | 4,375 | 69.51% | 1,736 | 27.58% | 183 | 2.91% | 2,639 | 41.93% | 6,294 |
| Lincoln | 4,383 | 64.29% | 2,227 | 32.66% | 208 | 3.05% | 2,156 | 31.63% | 6,818 |
| Logan | 8,222 | 68.68% | 3,469 | 28.98% | 281 | 2.34% | 4,753 | 39.70% | 11,972 |
| Marion | 12,054 | 55.93% | 8,959 | 41.57% | 540 | 2.50% | 3,095 | 14.36% | 21,553 |
| Marshall | 8,135 | 62.77% | 4,484 | 34.60% | 341 | 2.63% | 3,651 | 28.17% | 12,960 |
| Mason | 5,741 | 58.64% | 3,778 | 38.59% | 271 | 2.77% | 1,963 | 20.05% | 9,790 |
| McDowell | 3,959 | 63.98% | 2,109 | 34.08% | 120 | 1.94% | 1,850 | 29.90% | 6,188 |
| Mercer | 15,450 | 72.49% | 5,432 | 25.49% | 431 | 2.02% | 10,018 | 47.00% | 21,313 |
| Mineral | 7,833 | 71.29% | 2,885 | 26.26% | 270 | 2.45% | 4,948 | 45.03% | 10,988 |
| Mingo | 6,191 | 69.92% | 2,428 | 27.42% | 236 | 2.66% | 3,763 | 42.50% | 8,855 |
| Monongalia | 16,831 | 53.28% | 13,826 | 43.77% | 934 | 2.95% | 3,005 | 9.51% | 31,591 |
| Monroe | 3,616 | 69.11% | 1,455 | 27.81% | 161 | 3.08% | 2,161 | 41.30% | 5,232 |
| Morgan | 4,513 | 63.82% | 2,363 | 33.42% | 195 | 2.76% | 2,150 | 30.40% | 7,071 |
| Nicholas | 5,898 | 67.09% | 2,664 | 30.30% | 229 | 2.61% | 3,234 | 36.79% | 8,791 |
| Ohio | 10,768 | 59.96% | 6,786 | 37.79% | 405 | 2.25% | 3,982 | 22.17% | 17,959 |
| Pendleton | 2,095 | 64.34% | 1,074 | 32.99% | 87 | 2.67% | 1,021 | 31.35% | 3,256 |
| Pleasants | 1,825 | 64.24% | 955 | 33.61% | 61 | 2.15% | 870 | 30.63% | 2,841 |
| Pocahontas | 2,182 | 60.76% | 1,303 | 36.29% | 106 | 2.95% | 879 | 24.47% | 3,591 |
| Preston | 7,889 | 70.54% | 2,931 | 26.21% | 363 | 3.25% | 4,958 | 44.33% | 11,183 |
| Putnam | 16,032 | 67.47% | 7,256 | 30.54% | 472 | 1.99% | 8,776 | 36.93% | 23,760 |
| Raleigh | 20,614 | 71.48% | 7,739 | 26.84% | 484 | 1.68% | 12,875 | 44.64% | 28,837 |
| Randolph | 6,160 | 63.00% | 3,342 | 34.18% | 276 | 2.82% | 2,818 | 28.82% | 9,778 |
| Ritchie | 2,921 | 77.07% | 768 | 20.26% | 101 | 2.67% | 2,153 | 56.81% | 3,790 |
| Roane | 2,982 | 58.93% | 1,939 | 38.32% | 139 | 2.75% | 1,043 | 20.61% | 5,060 |
| Summers | 2,981 | 62.84% | 1,621 | 34.17% | 142 | 2.99% | 1,360 | 28.67% | 4,744 |
| Taylor | 3,840 | 64.85% | 1,941 | 32.78% | 140 | 2.37% | 1,899 | 32.07% | 5,921 |
| Tucker | 2,176 | 69.34% | 880 | 28.04% | 82 | 2.62% | 1,296 | 41.30% | 3,138 |
| Tyler | 2,314 | 70.44% | 890 | 27.09% | 81 | 2.47% | 1,424 | 43.35% | 3,285 |
| Upshur | 5,939 | 71.57% | 2,158 | 26.01% | 201 | 2.42% | 3,781 | 45.56% | 8,298 |
| Wayne | 8,688 | 62.02% | 4,931 | 35.20% | 390 | 2.78% | 3,757 | 26.82% | 14,009 |
| Webster | 1,710 | 61.67% | 947 | 34.15% | 116 | 4.18% | 763 | 27.52% | 2,773 |
| Wetzel | 3,473 | 59.11% | 2,217 | 37.74% | 185 | 3.15% | 1,256 | 21.37% | 5,875 |
| Wirt | 1,427 | 65.73% | 676 | 31.14% | 68 | 3.13% | 751 | 34.59% | 2,171 |
| Wood | 22,183 | 65.10% | 11,230 | 32.96% | 663 | 1.94% | 10,953 | 32.14% | 34,076 |
| Wyoming | 5,769 | 76.65% | 1,583 | 21.03% | 174 | 2.32% | 4,186 | 55.62% | 7,526 |
| Totals | 417,655 | 62.14% | 238,269 | 35.45% | 16,195 | 2.41% | 179,386 | 26.69% | 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 |
| 1st | 62.18% | 35.54% | David McKinley |
| 2nd | 60% | 37.97% | Shelley Moore Capito |
| 3rd | 65% | 32.79% | Nick Rahall |