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Elections and Voting

2012 Presidential Election

2012 United States Presidential Election logo (Photo: State Department)

“The Road to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue” has become a familiar and vital conversation topic every American uses during the presidential campaign season. After the 2007-2008 economic recession, economy and unemployment still dominate as the main national concerns for the upcoming 2012 presidential election. Although the incumbent Democratic President Obama has passed economic stimulus legislation during his tenure, his Republican contenders challenge him on grounds that he did not have a successful plan to bring jobs back and the debt-ceiling crisis that eroded his public support. As always, the democratic procedures that involve primaries, caucuses, Super Tuesday, nomination processes, and each of the political parties’ festive national conventions will determine the next American president who will be elected on Tuesday, November 6, 2012.

Democratic Party

Having the advantages of incumbency and constitutional eligibility for his second and final term, President Barack Obama is the only Democratic Party presidential candidate for the 2012 election. He formally announced his re-election bid on April 4, 2011 through an online video titled “It Begins With Us” and by filling an official form with the Federal Elections Committee (FEC).

Curious about what the Obama-Biden campaign proposes for 2012? You can learn about news updates, issues, and their proposals from their campaign website: http://www.barackobama.com/

Primaries and Caucuses

Iowa held its caucuses on January 3, 2012 resulting with 98% landslide victory for Obama and 2% uncommitted/ others. Other unsuccessful Democratic contenders in Iowa caucuses included pro-life activist Randall Terry, political activist Darcy Richardson, and performer and activist Vermin Supreme; all of whom were active in the Occupy Movement.

Similar pattern occurred during the New Hampshire primary on January 10, 2012; Nevada caucuses on January 21, 2012; and Minnesota caucuses on January 7, 2012. Nonetheless, in South Carolina open primary on January 28, 2012 and Florida primary on January 31, 2012, Obama received 100%. By the end of Super Tuesday, March 6, 2012, Obama accumulated 527 delegates, landslide victories in most of the primaries, except in Oklahoma where he received 57% of the votes whereas Randall Terry, Jim Rogers, Darcy Richardson, and Bob Ely received 43% altogether. With 40 more primaries and caucuses, the vetting process will eventually end with the Democratic National Convention on September 3 through 6, 2012 in Charlotte, North Carolina, when the total delegate counts will be tallied and the Democratic party presidential and vice-presidential candidate will be formally announced.

Being the only viable candidates, primaries and caucuses for the Democratic Party are only conducted as a formality for President Obama and Vice-President Biden.

Republican Party

Candidacy for Republican nominees precipitated during the summer of 2011 when a handful of Republican contenders declared their candidacy. Among them who filed for presidential exploratory committees with the FEC and formally announced candidacy were former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney on June 22, 2011 and through his online video "Believe in America";  former Senator from Pennsylvania Rick Santorum  on June 6, 2012 which was also under media coverage; former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrinch on May 13, 2011 who also utlized his video announcement; Representative from Texas Ron Paul on May 13, 2011 who declared his intention to run during his interview with Good Morning America; Representative from Minnesota Michele Bachmann on June 14, 2011 which was immediately followed by her video announcement; and Texas governor Rick Perry on August 13, 2011 with his announcement at the Red State Gathering.

In fall 2011, major Republican contenders participated in a series of six televised debates over a 5-week period. Whereas economy and unemployment issue became center stage, these candidates also debated issues ranging from foreign relations with China and foreign policy to healthcare and domestic issues about law enforcement, criminality, and the future of Social Security. Each of these Republican presidential campaigns continued diligently until primary and caucus season began in January 2012 when some of these contenders started suspending and withdrawing their campaigns due to low ratings.

Want to know what each of these candidates is campaigning for? You can learn from their campaign websites:

 

Early Primaries and Caucuses

Being the earliest state, Iowa held its caucuses on January 3, 2012. Rick Santorum emerged as the leading candidate in this state’s caucuses with 24.56% of the vote. He was followed tightly by Mitt Romney with 24.54%, by margin of only 34 votes. Ron Paul finished third and Newt Gingrich fourth with 21.43% and 13.31 % respectively. With only 4.98% of the vote, Michele Bachmann decided to withdraw her campaign the following day.

This was followed by New Hampshire primary on January 10, 2012, which was won by Mitt Romney with a landslide victory of 97.59%. During the early primaries and caucuses Mitt Romney earned consistent victories in the 7 out of 11 states after New Hampshire. Examples of this consistency could be demonstrated by his victories in Florida primary, Nevada caucuses, and Michigan closed primary which earned him 46.40%, 50.02%, and 41.1% in the respective states. In the meantime, Rick Santorum excelled in the Colorado and Minnesota caucuses as well as Missouri primary, all of which were held on February 7, 2012. During this early stage, Newt Gingrich only won one race which was the South Carolina primary on January 21, 2012. He finished first with 40.4% of the vote.

Want to know more about the difference between primaries and caucuses? Also, are you curious about the difference between open and closed primaries, which state prefers which system, and why? You can learn more here.

Super Tuesday

Coming into Super Tuesday, on March 6, 2012; Mitt Romney was leading the Republican race for presidential nominee. Seven states with primaries and three with caucuses were at stake during this day. States that held Republican primaries were Georgia, Massachusetts, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia. On the other hand; Alaska, Idaho and North Dakota held their caucuses. At the end of Super Tuesday, Mitt Romney was still leading the race with 220 delegate counts, followed by Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul—each claimed 87, 83, and 21 delegate counts respectively.

With 34 other primaries and caucuses involving other states and U.S. territories, The Republican presidential race will end at the Republican National Convention, held between August 27 and 30, 2012, when the Republican Party will tally total delegate counts and formally announce its presidential and vice-president nominee.

 

References

Connelly, M. (2012, March 6). Voters Said the Economy Was Their Main Issue. The New York Times: Politics. Retrieved on March 12, 2012 from: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/us/politics/super-tuesday-exit-polls-show-voters-focused-on-economy.html

Democratic Party Presidential Primaries, 2012, Retrieved on March 12, 2012 from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_presidential_primaries,_2012United States Presidential Election, 2012. Retrieved on March 12, 2012 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2012

Republican Party Presidential Primaries, 2012, Retrieved on March 12, 2012 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_presidential_primaries,_2012

Super Tuesday. (2012, March 6). The New York Times: The Opinion Pages. Retrieved on March 12, 2012 from: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/opinion/super-tuesday.html

Zeleny, J. (2012, March 7). With No Knockout Punch, a Bruising Baggle Plods On. The New York Times: Politics. Retrieved on March 12, 2012 from: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/us/politics/no-super-tuesday-knockout-punch.html?pagewanted=all

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