# 2012 United States presidential election in Minnesota

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| ← 2008 | 2012 | 2016 → |
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The 2012 United States presidential election in Minnesota 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. State voters chose ten electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting incumbent DFL 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.
Minnesota backed Obama for re-election, giving him 52.65% of the vote, while Republican challenger Mitt Romney took 44.96%, a victory margin of 7.69%. With ten Democratic wins in a row, Minnesota has the longest current streak of voting for the Democratic candidate in presidential elections of any state, having not voted Republican since Richard Nixon in 1972. This is the longest streak for the Democrats in history amongst non-Southern states.
However, Romney was able to significantly improve on McCain's performance in Minnesota, as he did nationally. Fourteen counties that voted for Obama in 2008 flipped and voted for the Republican Party in 2012, while many Democratic counties had a margin of victory much narrower than in 2008. Many of these counties had not voted for a Republican in decades, such as Big Stone County, as well as Pine County. Obama thus became the first Democrat to win the White House without carrying Big Stone County since Grover Cleveland in 1892. Obama also became the first ever Democrat to win the White House without carrying Red Lake County, as well as the first to do so without carrying Lincoln, Marshall, Pennington, or Polk Counties since Woodrow Wilson in 1912, the first to do so without carrying Grant or Pine Counties since Woodrow Wilson in 1916.
As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last time the Democratic candidate won the following counties: Beltrami, Chippewa, Fillmore, Freeborn, Houston, Itasca, Kittson, Koochiching, Lac qui Parle, Mahnomen, Mower, Norman, Rice, Swift, and Traverse.

## Caucuses
### Democratic caucuses

2012 Minnesota Democratic caucus :
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Delegates |
| Barack Obama (incumbent) | 16,733 | 96.30% | 91 |
| Uncommitted | 643 | 3.70% | 0 |

### Republican caucuses

The Republican caucuses were held on February 7, 2012. The events coincided with the Colorado Republican caucuses as well as the Missouri Republican primary. Minnesota has a total of 40 delegates, 37 of which are tied to the caucuses while 3 are unpledged RNC delegates. The non-binding straw poll was won by Rick Santorum, but Ron Paul won 32 of the 40 delegates to the Republican National Convention.
Election Reporting :
| Candidate | Votes | Votes | Delegates | Delegates |
| Candidate | Total | Percentage | Total | Percentage |
| Rick Santorum | 21,988 | 44.95% | 2 | 5% |
| Ron Paul | 13,282 | 27.15% | 32 | 80% |
| Mitt Romney | 8,240 | 16.85% | 1 | 2.5% |
| Newt Gingrich | 5,263 | 10.76% | 0 | 0% |
| Write-in | 143 | 0.29% | 0 | 0% |
| Unpledged delegates: | Unpledged delegates: | Unpledged delegates: | 5 | 12.5% |
| Total: | 48,916 | 100.0% | 40 | 100.0% |

#### Conventions

There is no formal system of allocating delegates to candidates in any step of the election process. At each meeting the participants decides what the best course of action is. The state convention can vote to bind the 13 at-large delegates to a candidate. The 24 delegates elected at the CD conventions and the 3 automatic (RNC) delegates are not legally bound to vote for a candidate.
* 17 February - 31 March: BPOU conventions elect delegates to the state convention and the congressional district conventions.
* 14–21 April: Eight congressional conventions elect 3 National Convention delegates each.
* 18–19 May: State convention elect 13 National Convention delegates.
Convention Results :
| Candidate | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | State | Party leaders | Total |
| Ron Paul | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 32 |
| Rick Santorum | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Mitt Romney | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown | 1 | | | | | | | 1 | | 3 | 5 |
| Total | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 13 | 3 | 40 |

## General election
### Predictions

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

### Results

2012 United States presidential election in Minnesota :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Running mate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes |
| | Democratic (DFL) | Barack Obama (incumbent) | Joe Biden (incumbent) | 1,546,167 | 52.65% | 10 |
| | Republican | Mitt Romney | Paul Ryan | 1,320,225 | 44.96% | 0 |
| | Libertarian | Gary Johnson | Jim Gray | 35,098 | 1.20% | 0 |
| | Green | Jill Stein | Cheri Honkala | 13,023 | 0.44% | 0 |
| | Constitution | Virgil Goode | Jim Clymer | 3,722 | 0.13% | 0 |
| | Grassroots | Jim Carlson | George McMahon | 3,149 | 0.11% | 0 |
| | Justice | Rocky Anderson | Luis J. Rodriguez | 1,996 | 0.07% | 0 |
| | Constitutional Government | Dean Morstad | Josh Franke-Hyland | 1,092 | 0.04% | 0 |
| | Socialist Workers | James Harris | Maura DeLuca | 1,051 | 0.04% | 0 |
| | Socialism and Liberation | Peta Lindsay | Yari Osorio | 397 | 0.01% | 0 |
| | Write-Ins | | | 10,641 | 0.36% | 0 |
| Totals | Totals | Totals | Totals | 2,936,561 | 100.00% | 10 |
| Voter turnout (eligible voters) | Voter turnout (eligible voters) | Voter turnout (eligible voters) | Voter turnout (eligible voters) | Voter turnout (eligible voters) | Voter turnout (eligible voters) | 75.74% |

#### By county

| County | Barack Obama DFL | Barack Obama DFL | Mitt Romney Republican | Mitt Romney Republican | Various candidates Other parties | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Margin | Total votes cast |
| County | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | Total votes cast |
| Aitkin | 4,412 | 48.26% | 4,533 | 49.58% | 197 | 2.16% | -121 | -1.32% | 9,142 |
| Anoka | 88,614 | 47.52% | 93,430 | 50.11% | 4,421 | 2.37% | -4,816 | -2.59% | 186,465 |
| Becker | 6,829 | 41.69% | 9,204 | 56.18% | 349 | 2.13% | -2,375 | -14.49% | 16,382 |
| Beltrami | 11,818 | 53.59% | 9,637 | 43.70% | 596 | 2.71% | 2,181 | 9.89% | 22,051 |
| Benton | 8,173 | 41.66% | 10,849 | 55.30% | 597 | 3.04% | -2,676 | -13.64% | 19,619 |
| Big Stone | 1,345 | 48.23% | 1,385 | 49.66% | 59 | 2.11% | -40 | -1.43% | 2,789 |
| Blue Earth | 18,164 | 53.00% | 14,916 | 43.52% | 1,194 | 3.48% | 3,248 | 9.48% | 34,274 |
| Brown | 5,630 | 40.42% | 7,938 | 56.99% | 361 | 2.59% | -2,308 | -16.57% | 13,929 |
| Carlton | 11,389 | 61.78% | 6,586 | 35.72% | 461 | 2.50% | 4,803 | 26.06% | 18,436 |
| Carver | 20,745 | 39.22% | 31,155 | 58.90% | 999 | 1.88% | -10,410 | -19.68% | 52,899 |
| Cass | 6,858 | 42.49% | 8,957 | 55.49% | 326 | 2.02% | -2,099 | -13.00% | 16,141 |
| Chippewa | 3,083 | 49.72% | 2,967 | 47.85% | 151 | 2.43% | 116 | 1.87% | 6,201 |
| Chisago | 12,524 | 42.54% | 16,227 | 55.12% | 690 | 2.34% | -3,703 | -12.58% | 29,441 |
| Clay | 15,208 | 52.65% | 12,920 | 44.73% | 758 | 2.62% | 2,288 | 7.92% | 28,886 |
| Clearwater | 1,753 | 41.77% | 2,359 | 56.21% | 85 | 2.02% | -606 | -14.44% | 4,197 |
| Cook | 1,993 | 59.99% | 1,221 | 36.75% | 108 | 3.26% | 772 | 23.24% | 3,322 |
| Cottonwood | 2,433 | 41.50% | 3,316 | 56.57% | 113 | 1.93% | -883 | -15.07% | 5,862 |
| Crow Wing | 14,760 | 42.27% | 19,415 | 55.60% | 745 | 2.13% | -4,655 | -13.33% | 34,920 |
| Dakota | 116,255 | 50.37% | 109,516 | 47.45% | 5,050 | 2.18% | 6,739 | 2.92% | 230,821 |
| Dodge | 4,487 | 43.45% | 5,522 | 53.47% | 318 | 3.08% | -1,035 | -10.02% | 10,327 |
| Douglas | 8,653 | 41.30% | 11,884 | 56.72% | 416 | 1.98% | -3,231 | -15.42% | 20,953 |
| Faribault | 3,407 | 44.17% | 4,104 | 53.21% | 202 | 2.62% | -697 | -9.04% | 7,713 |
| Fillmore | 5,713 | 52.45% | 4,913 | 45.11% | 266 | 2.44% | 800 | 7.34% | 10,892 |
| Freeborn | 9,326 | 55.82% | 6,969 | 41.72% | 411 | 2.46% | 2,357 | 14.10% | 16,706 |
| Goodhue | 12,212 | 47.33% | 12,986 | 50.33% | 603 | 2.34% | -774 | -3.00% | 25,801 |
| Grant | 1,647 | 47.23% | 1,748 | 50.13% | 92 | 2.64% | -101 | -2.90% | 3,487 |
| Hennepin | 423,982 | 62.34% | 240,073 | 35.30% | 16,010 | 2.36% | 183,909 | 27.04% | 680,065 |
| Houston | 5,281 | 50.56% | 4,951 | 47.40% | 214 | 2.04% | 330 | 3.16% | 10,446 |
| Hubbard | 4,676 | 40.59% | 6,622 | 57.48% | 222 | 1.93% | -1,946 | -16.89% | 11,520 |
| Isanti | 8,024 | 39.69% | 11,675 | 57.75% | 518 | 2.56% | -3,651 | -18.06% | 20,217 |
| Itasca | 12,852 | 53.73% | 10,501 | 43.90% | 566 | 2.37% | 2,351 | 9.83% | 23,919 |
| Jackson | 2,268 | 41.77% | 3,044 | 56.06% | 118 | 2.17% | -776 | -14.29% | 5,430 |
| Kanabec | 3,593 | 44.09% | 4,328 | 53.10% | 229 | 2.81% | -735 | -9.01% | 8,150 |
| Kandiyohi | 9,805 | 45.68% | 11,240 | 52.36% | 420 | 1.96% | -1,435 | -6.68% | 21,465 |
| Kittson | 1,241 | 51.28% | 1,095 | 45.25% | 84 | 3.47% | 146 | 6.03% | 2,420 |
| Koochiching | 3,451 | 53.44% | 2,841 | 43.99% | 166 | 2.57% | 610 | 9.45% | 6,458 |
| Lac qui Parle | 1,974 | 49.55% | 1,938 | 48.64% | 72 | 1.81% | 36 | 0.91% | 3,984 |
| Lake | 4,043 | 59.28% | 2,610 | 38.27% | 167 | 2.45% | 1,433 | 21.01% | 6,820 |
| Lake of the Woods | 859 | 38.45% | 1,306 | 58.46% | 69 | 3.09% | -447 | -20.01% | 2,234 |
| Le Sueur | 6,753 | 45.64% | 7,715 | 52.15% | 327 | 2.21% | -962 | -6.51% | 14,795 |
| Lincoln | 1,429 | 45.80% | 1,595 | 51.12% | 96 | 3.08% | -166 | -5.32% | 3,120 |
| Lyon | 5,465 | 44.12% | 6,594 | 53.23% | 329 | 2.65% | -1,129 | -9.11% | 12,388 |
| Mahnomen | 1,276 | 58.48% | 871 | 39.92% | 35 | 1.60% | 405 | 18.56% | 2,182 |
| Marshall | 1,998 | 42.53% | 2,569 | 54.68% | 131 | 2.79% | -571 | -12.15% | 4,698 |
| Martin | 4,054 | 36.96% | 6,657 | 60.69% | 257 | 2.35% | -2,603 | -23.73% | 10,968 |
| McLeod | 6,968 | 37.56% | 11,069 | 59.66% | 516 | 2.78% | -4,101 | -22.10% | 18,553 |
| Meeker | 4,969 | 40.68% | 6,913 | 56.60% | 332 | 2.72% | -1,944 | -15.92% | 12,214 |
| Mille Lacs | 5,829 | 44.53% | 6,951 | 53.10% | 311 | 2.37% | -1,122 | -8.57% | 13,091 |
| Morrison | 6,153 | 36.81% | 10,159 | 60.78% | 402 | 2.41% | -4,006 | -23.97% | 16,714 |
| Mower | 11,129 | 60.03% | 6,938 | 37.42% | 472 | 2.55% | 4,191 | 22.61% | 18,539 |
| Murray | 2,160 | 45.31% | 2,504 | 52.53% | 103 | 2.16% | -344 | -7.22% | 4,767 |
| Nicollet | 9,652 | 52.58% | 8,214 | 44.75% | 491 | 2.67% | 1,438 | 7.83% | 18,357 |
| Nobles | 3,793 | 44.52% | 4,581 | 53.77% | 146 | 1.71% | -788 | -9.25% | 8,520 |
| Norman | 1,730 | 53.94% | 1,384 | 43.16% | 93 | 2.90% | 346 | 10.78% | 3,207 |
| Olmsted | 39,338 | 50.23% | 36,832 | 47.03% | 2,146 | 2.74% | 2,506 | 3.20% | 78,316 |
| Otter Tail | 12,165 | 38.41% | 18,860 | 59.55% | 645 | 2.04% | -6,695 | -21.14% | 31,670 |
| Pennington | 3,024 | 46.40% | 3,305 | 50.71% | 188 | 2.89% | -281 | -4.31% | 6,517 |
| Pine | 6,750 | 48.34% | 6,845 | 49.02% | 370 | 2.64% | -95 | -0.68% | 13,965 |
| Pipestone | 1,725 | 37.13% | 2,826 | 60.83% | 95 | 2.04% | -1,101 | -23.70% | 4,646 |
| Polk | 6,773 | 46.10% | 7,615 | 51.83% | 305 | 2.07% | -842 | -5.73% | 14,693 |
| Pope | 2,981 | 47.73% | 3,142 | 50.30% | 123 | 1.97% | -161 | -2.57% | 6,246 |
| Ramsey | 184,938 | 66.33% | 86,800 | 31.13% | 7,084 | 2.54% | 98,138 | 35.20% | 278,822 |
| Red Lake | 928 | 46.99% | 978 | 49.52% | 69 | 3.49% | -50 | -2.53% | 1,975 |
| Redwood | 3,008 | 38.61% | 4,570 | 58.66% | 212 | 2.73% | -1,562 | -20.05% | 7,790 |
| Renville | 3,394 | 44.02% | 4,149 | 53.81% | 167 | 2.17% | -755 | -9.79% | 7,710 |
| Rice | 17,054 | 52.85% | 14,384 | 44.58% | 829 | 2.57% | 2,670 | 8.27% | 32,267 |
| Rock | 1,946 | 40.16% | 2,810 | 57.99% | 90 | 1.85% | -864 | -17.83% | 4,846 |
| Roseau | 2,772 | 37.70% | 4,409 | 59.97% | 171 | 2.33% | -1,637 | -22.27% | 7,352 |
| St. Louis | 73,378 | 63.48% | 39,131 | 33.85% | 3,085 | 2.67% | 34,247 | 29.63% | 115,594 |
| Scott | 29,712 | 41.47% | 40,323 | 56.28% | 1,612 | 2.25% | -10,611 | -14.81% | 71,647 |
| Sherburne | 17,597 | 37.84% | 27,848 | 59.88% | 1,064 | 2.28% | -10,251 | -22.04% | 46,509 |
| Sibley | 2,916 | 37.31% | 4,693 | 60.05% | 206 | 2.64% | -1,777 | -22.74% | 7,815 |
| Stearns | 33,551 | 42.75% | 43,015 | 54.81% | 1,911 | 2.44% | -9,464 | -12.06% | 78,477 |
| Steele | 8,706 | 45.52% | 9,903 | 51.78% | 515 | 2.70% | -1,197 | -6.26% | 19,124 |
| Stevens | 2,742 | 48.51% | 2,766 | 48.94% | 144 | 2.55% | -24 | -0.43% | 5,652 |
| Swift | 2,751 | 53.74% | 2,248 | 43.91% | 120 | 2.35% | 503 | 9.83% | 5,119 |
| Todd | 4,819 | 40.83% | 6,719 | 56.93% | 265 | 2.24% | -1,900 | -16.10% | 11,803 |
| Traverse | 943 | 51.06% | 861 | 46.62% | 43 | 2.32% | 82 | 4.44% | 1,847 |
| Wabasha | 5,415 | 46.03% | 6,049 | 51.42% | 299 | 2.55% | -634 | -5.39% | 11,763 |
| Wadena | 2,492 | 36.70% | 4,143 | 61.01% | 156 | 2.29% | -1,651 | -24.31% | 6,791 |
| Waseca | 4,370 | 44.83% | 5,116 | 52.49% | 261 | 2.68% | -746 | -7.66% | 9,747 |
| Washington | 70,203 | 49.39% | 69,137 | 48.64% | 2,793 | 1.97% | 1,066 | 0.75% | 142,133 |
| Watonwan | 2,494 | 48.48% | 2,517 | 48.93% | 133 | 2.59% | -23 | -0.45% | 5,144 |
| Wilkin | 1,258 | 39.04% | 1,884 | 58.47% | 80 | 2.49% | -626 | -19.43% | 3,222 |
| Winona | 14,980 | 55.01% | 11,480 | 42.16% | 772 | 2.83% | 3,500 | 12.85% | 27,232 |
| Wright | 25,741 | 37.96% | 40,466 | 59.67% | 1,609 | 2.37% | -14,725 | -21.71% | 67,816 |
| Yellow Medicine | 2,465 | 45.53% | 2,806 | 51.83% | 143 | 2.64% | -341 | -6.30% | 5,414 |
| Totals | 1,546,167 | 52.65% | 1,320,225 | 44.96% | 70,169 | 2.39% | 225,942 | 7.69% | 2,936,561 |

##### Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Aitkin (largest city: Aitkin)
* Big Stone (largest city: Ortonville)
* Grant (largest city: Elbow Lake)
* Lincoln (largest city: Tyler)
* Marshall (largest city: Warren)
* Murray (largest city: Slayton)
* Pennington (largest city: Thief River Falls)
* Pine (largest city: Pine City)
* Polk (largest city: East Grand Forks)
* Pope (largest city: Glenwood)
* Red Lake (largest city: Red Lake Falls)
* Stevens (largest city: Morris)
* Watonwan (largest city: St. James)
* Yellow Medicine (largest city: Granite Falls)

#### By congressional district

Obama won 6 of 8 congressional districts, including two held by Republicans. Romney won 2, including one held by a Democrat.
| District | Obama | Romney | Representative |
| 1st | 49% | 48% | Tim Walz |
| 2nd | 48.9% | 48.8% | John Kline |
| 3rd | 49.5% | 48.7% | Erik Paulsen |
| 4th | 62% | 35% | Betty McCollum |
| 5th | 73% | 24% | Keith Ellison |
| 6th | 41% | 56% | Michele Bachmann |
| 7th | 44% | 54% | Collin Peterson |
| 8th | 51% | 46% | Rick Nolan |