November 6, 2012 2016 → 1,462,330 960,709 Date 6 March 2012 | 11 0 59.48% 39.08% Location Tennessee, United States | |
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The 2012 United States presidential election in Tennessee took place on November 6, 2012 as part of the 2012 General Election in which all 50 states plus The District of Columbia participated. Tennessee voters chose 11 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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Mitt Romney received Tennessee's 11 electoral votes after he garnered 59.48% of the popular vote in Tennessee, to Barack Obama's 39.08%.
Much like in previous elections, larger metropolitan areas such as Memphis and Nashville were won by the Democratic Party, but rural areas overwhelmingly favored the Republican Party. Barack Obama proved especially unpopular among the state's conservative electorate; consequently, Mitt Romney's 20.4% margin of victory was the strongest Republican win in Tennessee since 1972. Tennessee has not voted for a Democratic candidate since 1996.
By congressional district
Mitt Romney swept the state and carried seven of the state's nine congressional districts, all represented by Republicans. Barack Obama carried the state's two congressional districts anchored by the two largest cities of Memphis and Nashville.
History
In previous elections, Tennessee was typically won by the Republican party, with Republicans winning in Tennessee for the past three election cycles, since the 2000 election.
Democratic primary
The 2012 democratic primary in Tennessee took place on Super Tuesday, March 6, 2012, with Barack Obama receiving 80,355 (88.5%) votes. Other candidates received a combined total of 10,411 (11.5%) votes. Tennessee had a total of 91 delegates to the 2012 Democratic National Convention, of which 82 were pledged to presidential contenders depending on the popular vote. The remaining 9 super-delegates were unbound.
Republican primary
The Republican primary took place on Super Tuesday, March 6, 2012.
Tennessee has 58 delegates to the 2012 Republican National Convention. Three super delegates are unbound. 27 delegates are awarded by congressional district, 3 delegates for each district. If a candidate wins two-third of the vote in a district, he takes all 3 delegates there; if not, delegates are split 2-to-1 between the top two candidates. Another 28 delegates are awarded to the candidate who wins two-thirds of the vote statewide, or allocated proportionately among candidates winning at least 20% of the vote if no one gets two-thirds.