2012 United States presidential election in Louisiana

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Main article: 2012 United States presidential election
2012 United States presidential election in Louisiana
← 2008 November 6, 2012 2016 →
 
Nominee Mitt Romney Barack Obama
Party Republican Democratic
Home state Massachusetts Illinois
Running mate Paul Ryan Joe Biden
Electoral vote 8 0
Popular vote 1,152,262 809,141
Percentage 57.78% 40.58%
President before election

Barack Obama
Democratic

Elected President

Barack Obama
Democratic

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← 2008 2012 2016 →

The 2012 United States presidential election in Louisiana 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. Louisiana voters chose eight 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.

Romney carried Louisiana's eight electoral votes with 57.78% of the popular vote. Louisiana was one of six states where Obama did better in 2012 than in 2008, with his margin of loss decreasing from 18.63% to 17.20%.[a] As of the 2024 presidential election, this is the last time that a Democrat has won over 40% of the vote in the state. Obama is the only Democrat to ever win two terms without carrying the state at least once.

Primary elections

Democratic primary

2012 Louisiana Democratic presidential primary
← 2008 March 24, 2012 (2012-03-24) 2016 →
 
Candidate Barack Obama John Wolfe, Jr.
Home state Illinois Tennessee
Delegate count 60 4
Popular vote 115,150 17,804
Percentage 76.46% 11.82%
 
Candidate Bob Ely Darcy Richardson
Home state Illinois Florida
Delegate count 0 0
Popular vote 9,897 7,750
Percentage 6.57% 5.15%
Louisiana results by parish
  Barack Obama
  John Wolfe, Jr.

President Barack Obama received little serious opposition in the 2012 Democratic primaries, handily winning overall with over 76% of the vote. However, Tennessee attorney and perennial political candidate John Wolfe Jr. challenged President Obama in the primaries, and received nearly 12% of the vote. Entrepreneur Bob Ely and historian Darcy Richardson also participated, and received a little over 6% and 5% of the vote, respectively. On the date of the primary, President Obama swept nearly every parish in the state, with Wolfe winning LaSalle, Grant, and Cameron parishes. Although Wolfe qualified for four delegates, the Louisiana Democratic Party announced that they would not award the delegates to Wolfe on technical grounds.[1]

2012 Louisiana Democratic
presidential primary[2]
Candidate Votes % Pledged
delegates[3]
Barack Obama (incumbent) 115,150 76.46 60
John Wolfe, Jr. 17,804 11.82 4
Bob Ely 9,897 6.57 0
Darcy Richardson 7,750 5.15 0
Total 150,601 100% 64

Republican primary and caucuses

2012 Louisiana Republican primary and caucuses
← 2008 March 24, 2012 (2012-03-24) 2016 →
 
Candidate Rick Santorum Mitt Romney
Home state Pennsylvania Massachusetts
Delegate count 10 5
Popular vote 91,321 49,758
Percentage 49.0% 26.7%
 
Candidate Newt Gingrich Ron Paul
Home state Georgia Texas
Delegate count 0 0
Popular vote 29,656 11,467
Percentage 15.9% 6.2%
Louisiana results by parish
  Rick Santorum
  Mitt Romney

The 2012 Louisiana Republican primary took place on Saturday, March 24, 2012. Additionally, caucuses were held on April 28.[4][5]

Louisiana had 46 delegates to the Republican National Convention. 20 were awarded based on the primary outcome, and the other 26 by the caucuses.

Primary

The 20 delegate allocation was proportional among candidates who received at least 25% of the statewide vote. Candidates who did not reach the 25% threshold lost the delegates they otherwise would have won, and those delegates became uncommitted then.[6]

On March 24, Rick Santorum was declared the winner of the state's primary.[7]

2012 Louisiana Republican primary
Candidate Votes Percentage Projected delegate count
GP
[8] 		CNN
[9] 		MSNBC
[10]
Rick Santorum 91,321 48.99% 10 10 10
Mitt Romney 49,758 26.69% 5 5 6
Newt Gingrich 29,656 15.91% 0 0 0
Ron Paul 11,467 6.15% 0 0 0
Buddy Roemer 2,203 1.18% 0 0 0
Rick Perry 955 0.51% 0 0 0
Michele Bachmann 622 0.33% 0 0 0
Jon Huntsman, Jr. 242 0.13% 0 0 0
Randy Crow 186 0.10% 0 0 0
Unprojected delegates: 5 5 4
Total: 186,410 100.00% 20 20 20

[11]

Caucuses, delegate dispute, and ultimate agreement

Although Ron Paul won just 6% of the vote in the primary on March 24 (in which almost 190,000 voters cast ballots), he carried four of Louisiana's six congressional districts in the congressional district caucuses held the following month (in which fewer than 10,000 people took part).[12]

Paul's showing in the April district caucuses "guaranteed him 12 of the state's 46 national convention delegates and, as important, gave his forces 111 of the 180 delegates to the state convention," which chose the actual delegates to the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida.[13][12]

In advance of the June 2 Louisiana State Republican Convention in Shreveport, pro-Paul delegates and others clashed with officials and loyalists of the state Republican Party, which "issued supplemental rules on the eve of the convention to keep the Paul forces from wresting more than the 17 delegates which, in their view, was their due."[12] The convention itself was described as a "riotous" and chaotic scene, as the police removed two Paul supporters, arresting one, and the convention devolved into two separate conventions, "as the Paul delegates turned their chairs around and conducted their convention facing one way, while the state party and its loyalists conducted their parallel convention facing the other."[12]

The split convention resulted in two rival slates of 46 delegates.[12][14] The national Republican Party accepted the slate submitted by Louisiana Republican Party chairman Roger Villere as the official slate.[14] In late July, however, Paul's campaign announced that it would challenge all the Louisiana delegates, asserting that "our rump convention is the legitimate delegation and they have a right to be seated at the Republican National Convention."[15] In its official challenge to the delegate slate filed in August, Paul's campaign likened Villere to the leader of "a North Korean politburo"; in response, the executive director of the Louisiana Republican Party said that Paul's challenge was "full of personal attacks, hyperbole and unfounded assumption."[16] The dispute was to be adjudicated by the Contest Committee of the national Republican Party, with a possible appeal to the full Republican National Committee and then to the Credential Committee of the convention.[12] However, in late August—one week prior to the convention—the Paul campaign made an agreement with the Republican Party of Louisiana in which Paul would get 17 of the state's 46 delegates, with the rest of the state's delegates supporting then-presumptive nominee Mitt Romney.[17]

General election

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
Huffington Post[18] Safe R November 6, 2012
CNN[19] Safe R November 6, 2012
New York Times[20] Safe R November 6, 2012
Washington Post[21] Safe R November 6, 2012
RealClearPolitics[22] Solid R November 6, 2012
Sabato's Crystal Ball[23] Solid R November 5, 2012
FiveThirtyEight[24] Solid R November 6, 2012

Results

2012 United States presidential election in Louisiana[25]
Party Candidate Running mate Votes Percentage Electoral votes
Republican Mitt Romney Paul Ryan 1,152,262 57.78% 8
Democratic Barack Obama (incumbent) Joe Biden (incumbent) 809,141 40.58% 0
Libertarian Gary Johnson Jim Gray 18,157 0.91% 0
Green Jill Stein Cheri Honkala 6,978 0.35% 0
Constitution Virgil Goode Jim Clymer 2,508 0.13% 0
Others 1,766 0.09% 0
Justice Rocky Anderson Luis J. Rodriguez 1,368 0.07% 0
Socialism and Liberation Peta Lindsay Yari Osorio 622 0.03% 0
Prohibition Party Jack Fellure Toby Davis 519 0.03% 0
Socialist Workers James Harris Alyson Kennedy 389 0.02% 0
Socialist Equality Jerry White Phyllis Scherrer 355 0.02% 0
Totals 1,994,065 100.00% 8
Voter turnout (registered voters) 67.26%

By parish

Parish Mitt Romney
Republican 		Barack Obama
Democratic 		Various candidates
Other parties 		Margin Total
# % # % # % # %
Acadia 19,931 74.27% 6,560 24.45% 344 1.28% 13,371 49.82% 26,835
Allen 6,495 69.79% 2,617 28.12% 195 2.09% 3,878 41.67% 9,307
Ascension 33,856 66.29% 16,349 32.01% 868 1.70% 17,507 34.28% 51,073
Assumption 6,083 55.34% 4,754 43.25% 155 1.41% 1,329 12.09% 10,992
Avoyelles 10,670 62.65% 6,077 35.68% 285 1.67% 4,593 26.97% 17,032
Beauregard 11,112 78.12% 2,828 24.45% 285 2.00% 8,284 53.67% 14,225
Bienville 3,641 50.55% 3,490 48.45% 72 1.00% 151 2.10% 7,203
Bossier 34,988 72.05% 12,956 26.68% 618 1.27% 22,032 45.37% 48,562
Caddo 52,459 46.94% 58,042 51.93% 1,264 1.13% -5,583 -4.99% 111,765
Calcasieu 51,850 63.44% 28,359 34.70% 1,517 1.86% 23,491 28.74% 81,726
Caldwell 3,640 77.18% 1,016 21.54% 60 1.28% 2,624 55.64% 4,716
Cameron 3,260 87.07% 408 10.90% 76 2.03% 2,852 76.17% 3,744
Catahoula 2,744 65.44% 1,408 33.58% 41 0.98% 1,336 31.86% 4,193
Claiborne 3,649 54.20% 3,014 44.77% 69 1.03% 635 9.43% 6,732
Concordia 5,450 58.10% 3,833 40.86% 97 1.04% 1,617 17.24% 9,380
DeSoto 7,353 56.34% 5,553 42.55% 145 1.11% 1,800 13.79% 13,051
East Baton Rouge 92,292 46.57% 102,656 51.80% 3,223 1.63% -10,364 -5.23% 198,171
East Carroll 1,508 37.62% 2,478 61.83% 22 0.55% -970 -24.21% 4,008
East Feliciana 5,397 52.87% 4,648 45.53% 164 1.60% 749 7.34% 10,209
Evangeline 10,181 64.56% 5,330 33.80% 259 1.64% 4,851 30.76% 15,770
Franklin 6,294 67.42% 2,921 31.29% 121 1.29% 3,373 36.13% 9,336
Grant 7,082 81.71% 1,422 16.41% 163 1.88% 5,660 65.30% 8,667
Iberia 20,892 62.56% 12,132 36.33% 373 1.11% 8,760 26.23% 33,397
Iberville 7,271 42.74% 9,548 56.12% 195 1.14% -2,277 -13.38% 17,014
Jackson 5,132 68.16% 2,305 30.61% 92 1.23% 2,827 37.55% 7,529
Jefferson 102,536 58.15% 70,384 39.91% 3,423 1.94% 32,152 18.24% 176,343
Jefferson Davis 10,014 72.91% 3,484 25.37% 236 1.72% 6,530 47.54% 13,734
Lafayette 64,992 65.89% 31,768 32.21% 1,882 1.90% 33,224 33.68% 98,642
Lafourche 28,592 73.17% 9,623 24.63% 860 2.20% 18,969 48.54% 39,075
LaSalle 5,726 87.13% 764 11.63% 82 1.24% 4,962 75.50% 6,572
Lincoln 10,739 56.54% 7,956 41.89% 298 1.57% 2,783 14.65% 18,993
Livingston 45,513 84.19% 7,451 13.78% 1,098 2.03% 38,062 70.41% 54,062
Madison 2,000 38.56% 3,154 60.81% 33 0.63% -1,154 -22.25% 5,187
Morehouse 6,591 52.25% 5,888 46.68% 135 1.07% 703 5.57% 12,614
Natchitoches 9,077 52.60% 7,942 46.02% 239 1.38% 1,135 6.58% 17,258
Orleans 28,003 17.74% 126,722 80.30% 3,088 1.96% -98,719 -62.56% 157,813
Ouachita 40,948 59.80% 26,645 38.91% 881 1.29% 14,303 20.89% 68,474
Plaquemines 6,471 63.20% 3,599 35.15% 169 1.65% 2,872 28.05% 10,239
Pointe Coupee 6,548 53.91% 5,436 44.75% 163 1.34% 1,112 9.16% 12,147
Rapides 37,193 64.10% 20,045 34.55% 781 1.35% 17,148 29.55% 58,019
Red River 2,483 51.65% 2,253 46.87% 71 1.48% 230 4.78% 4,807
Richland 5,846 62.66% 3,387 36.31% 96 1.03% 2,459 26.35% 9,329
Sabine 7,738 76.97% 2,194 21.82% 121 1.21% 5,544 55.15% 10,053
St. Bernard 8,501 60.92% 5,059 36.25% 395 2.83% 3,442 24.67% 13,955
St. Charles 15,937 62.91% 8,896 35.12% 500 1.97% 7,041 27.79% 25,333
St. Helena 2,529 39.55% 3,780 59.12% 85 1.33% -1,251 -19.57% 6,394
St. James 5,209 42.03% 7,059 56.95% 127 1.02% -1,850 -14.92% 12,395
St. John the Baptist 7,620 36.07% 13,179 62.39% 324 1.54% -5,559 -26.32% 21,123
St. Landry 21,475 51.56% 19,668 47.23% 504 1.21% 1,807 4.33% 41,647
St. Martin 15,653 61.55% 9,422 37.05% 358 1.40% 6,231 24.50% 25,433
St. Mary 13,885 58.74% 9,450 39.97% 305 1.29% 4,435 18.77% 23,640
St. Tammany 84,723 75.04% 25,728 22.79% 2,451 2.17% 58,995 52.25% 112,902
Tangipahoa 31,590 63.06% 17,722 35.37% 787 1.57% 13,868 27.69% 50,099
Tensas 1,230 43.74% 1,564 55.62% 18 0.64% -334 -11.88% 2,812
Terrebonne 29,503 69.68% 12,074 28.52% 764 1.80% 17,429 41.16% 42,341
Union 7,561 70.23% 3,075 28.56% 130 1.21% 4,486 41.67% 10,766
Vermilion 18,910 75.68% 5,720 22.89% 357 1.43% 13,190 52.79% 24,987
Vernon 12,150 77.83% 3,173 20.33% 287 1.84% 8,977 57.50% 15,610
Washington 11,798 63.49% 6,466 34.80% 317 1.71% 5,332 28.69% 18,581
Webster 11,400 61.90% 6,802 36.94% 214 1.16% 4,598 24.96% 18,416
West Baton Rouge 6,922 54.19% 5,692 44.56% 160 1.25% 1,230 9.63% 12,774
West Carroll 3,628 79.77% 853 18.76% 67 1.47% 2,775 61.01% 4,548
West Feliciana 3,257 56.38% 2,441 42.25% 79 1.37% 816 14.13% 5,777
Winn 4,541 69.50% 1,919 29.37% 74 1.13% 2,622 40.13% 6,534
Totals 1,152,262 57.78% 809,141 40.58% 32,662 1.64% 343,121 17.20% 1,994,065

By congressional district

Romney won 5 of 6 congressional districts.[26]

District Romney Obama Representative
1st 70.85% 26.86% Steve Scalise
2nd 22.81% 75.84% Cedric Richmond
3rd 66.1% 32.26% Charles Boustany
4th 59% 39.66% John Fleming
5th 61% 37.66% Rodney Alexander
6th 66.15% 31.96% Bill Cassidy

See also

Notes

  1. ^ As Louisiana was also one of only five states in which McCain did better in 2008 than Bush did in 2004, it is the only state to swing toward McCain in 2008 and Obama in 2012.

References

  1. ^ "Louisiana Democratic Party denies 3 delegates to fringe candidate". NOLA.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  2. ^ "Louisiana Secretary of State - Election Results". voterportal.sos.la.gov. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  3. ^ "Louisiana Democratic Delegation 2012". www.thegreenpapers.com. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  4. ^ "Primary and Caucus Printable Calendar". CNN. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  5. ^ "Presidential Primary Dates" (PDF). Federal Election Commission. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  6. ^ Nate Silver (March 24, 2012). "G.O.P. Campaign Could End Soon — But Not in Louisiana". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  7. ^ Rick Santorum wins Louisiana primary
  8. ^ The Green Papers, "2012 Louisiana Republican Primary" . The Green Papers.
  9. ^ CNN, "Republican Primary" . CNN.
  10. ^ MSNBC, "Republican Primary" . MSNBC.
  11. ^ "Unofficial Election Results". LA Secretary of State. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Jonathan Tilove, Louisiana Republican convention devolves into separate meetings, The Times-Picayune (June 10, 2012).
  13. ^ Tilove, Jonathan (April 28, 2012). "Ron Paul supporters dominate Louisiana's Republican presidential caucuses". The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on April 29, 2012.
  14. ^ a b Melina Deslatte, Dispute over La. delegates to GOP convention goes national, Associated Press (August 1, 2012).
  15. ^ Adam Levy, Ron Paul campaign to challenge all Louisiana delegates, CNN (July 27, 2012).
  16. ^ Jonathan Tilove Ron Paul supporters won't back down in Louisiana GOP dispute, The Times-Picayune (August 6, 2012).
  17. ^ Stephen Ohlemacher, Paul adds delegates in Louisiana compromise, Associated Press (August 21, 2012).
  18. ^ "Huffington Post Election Dashboard". HuffPost. Archived from the original on August 13, 2013.
  19. ^ "America's Choice 2012 Election Center: CNN Electoral Map". CNN. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013.
  20. ^ "Election 2012 - The Electoral Map: Building a Path to Victory". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012.
  21. ^ "2012 Presidential Election Results". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 26, 2012.
  22. ^ "RealClearPolitics - 2012 Election Maps - Battle for White House". Archived from the original on June 8, 2011.
  23. ^ "PROJECTION: OBAMA WILL LIKELY WIN SECOND TERM".
  24. ^ "Nate Silver's political calculations predict 2012 election outcome".
  25. ^ "Louisiana Secretary of State". Louisiana Secretary of State.
  26. ^ "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts". Daily Kos. Retrieved August 11, 2020.