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| Turnout | 71.06%[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 County and independent city results Congressional district results Precinct results
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The2012 United States presidential election in Virginia took place on November 6, 2012, as part of thepresidential election in which all 50 states plus theDistrict of Columbia participated.Virginia voters chose 13 electors to represent them in theElectoral College via a popular vote pittingincumbentDemocraticPresidentBarack Obama and his running mate,Vice PresidentJoe Biden, againstRepublican challenger and formerMassachusetts GovernorMitt Romney and his running mate,CongressmanPaul Ryan.
Virginia was won by Obama with 51.16% of the vote to Romney's 47.28%, a 3.88% margin of victory.[2]Third parties andwrite-ins received a cumulative 60,147 votes, representing 1.56% of the vote. In2008, Obama won the state by 6.30%, becoming the first Democratic presidential nominee to win it sinceLyndon B. Johnson's nationwide Democratic landslide of1964, but it had otherwise been a reliably Republican state prior to this. However, 2008 represented a realignment election for Virginia.[3]
Much of the Democratic gains were attributed to the growth of progressive suburbanNorthern Virginia, particularly inFairfax County,Loudoun County, andPrince William County, all of which voted for Obama twice despite becoming Republican strongholds after1964. The Northern Virginia suburbs are generally dominated byWashington, D.C., the most Democratic region in the country, and increasing minority populations have turned Virginia from a Republican stronghold to a Democratic one. Obama's increased strength in this heavily populated region more than canceled out his weakness across rural Virginia, which, similar to the rest ofAppalachia, swung towards the Republican Party in2008 due to the Democrats' increasinglyenvironmentalistpolicies. Obama suffered a historically poor showing even in traditionally Democratic counties ofSouthwest Virginia, similar to his weak performance in neighboringWest Virginia.
Having also won the state in2008, Obama's 2012 victory made him the first Democrat sinceFranklin D. Roosevelt in1944 to carry Virginia in two consecutive elections, and also marked the first time since1948 that the state voted Democratic in consecutive elections. The Democratic margin of victory also made 2012 the first time since1948 that Virginia voted more Democratic than the nation as a whole, albeit by a narrow advantage of 0.02%: These were ultimately signs of Virginia's continuing leftward shift, after it had been a mostly reliable state for Republicans on the presidential level since1952.
As of the2024 presidential election, this was the last time the Republican nominee wonMontgomery County, and the last time the Democratic nominee won theindependent city ofCovington along withBuckingham,Caroline,Essex,Nelson andWestmoreland counties.
This was also the last time a Democratic presidential nominee won the state by less than a 5% margin, as Virginia has transformed into ablue state. In2016, the Republican nominee won the election without carrying Virginia for the first time since1924. By 2024, Virginia voted for a Democrat who lost the popular vote, also for the first time since 1924.
BecauseincumbentDemocraticPresidentBarack Obama faced no serious opposition from within his party in seeking reelection, no Democratic primary was held.
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 Virginia results by county and independent city Mitt Romney Ron Paul | |||||||||||||||||||
 2012 U.S. presidential election | |||
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| Democratic Party | |||
| Republican Party | |||
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The Republican primary took place onSuper Tuesday, March 6, 2012.[4][5]
Virginia had 49 delegates to the2012 Republican National Convention including the unbound superdelegates. 33 delegates were awarded on a winner-take-all basis by congressional district. The other 13 were awarded to the candidate who won a majority statewide, or allocated proportionally if no one got a majority.[6]
| Virginia Republican primary, March 6, 2012[7][8] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Delegates[8][9] |
| Mitt Romney | 158,119 | 59.54% | 43 |
| Ron Paul | 107,451 | 40.46% | 3 |
| Uncommitted delegates: | 3 | ||
| Total: | 265,570 | 100.00% | 49 |
Only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul appeared on the ballot. Other candidates failed to submit the necessary 10,000 signatures (including at least 400 from each of the state's 11congressional districts) required to get on the ballot by the deadline of 22 December 2011.[10]
On 27 December, Rick Perry filed a lawsuit – joined later byMichele Bachmann,Newt Gingrich,Jon Huntsman andRick Santorum – in thefederalDistrict Court for the Eastern District of Virginia inRichmond that challenged provisions that determine who can appear on the primary ballot. Perry and the other candidates argued that the chairman of theVirginia Republican Party and members of State Board of Elections violated their rights by enforcing state requirements as to the number of signatures, the qualifications for signers and the requirement that all petition circulators be "an eligible or registered qualified voter in Virginia." Perry and the other litigants argued that these restrictions "impose a severe burden" on theirfreedoms of speech andassociation under theFirst andFourteenth Amendment.[11][12][13]
The case wasPerry v. Judd. U.S. District JudgeJohn A. Gibney Jr. ruled on 29 December that he would not issue aninjunction to stop the printing of ballots before a scheduled hearing on 13 January.[14] TheVirginia Attorney General,Ken Cuccinelli, representing the state, made amotion to dismiss the case because of a lack ofstanding.[15] On 13 January, Judge Gibney Jr. dismissed the lawsuit citing the equitable doctrine oflaches ("sleeping on one's rights"), writing, "They knew the rules in Virginia many months ago... In essence, they played the game, lost, and then complained that the rules were unfair."[16] TheUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed, emphasizing that the candidate plaintiffs' failure to file in a timely fashion required dismissal.[17]
The final results saw Romney win with 59.54% and 43 delegates of the vote to Ron Paul's 40.46% and 3 delegates.
The initial polling in 2010 showed Obama leading with margins from 4 to 11 points. In September 2011, the tide changed, and Romney won every poll conducted from September 2011 to December 2011, except one. In January and February 2012, both candidates were neck and neck with neither having a decisive lead. In March, Obama was able to pull ahead and beat Romney in most polls until about late September 2012. On October 4, Romney won his first poll in a month, 48% to 45%. Throughout October, Romney won every poll but one for nearly three weeks. The latest polls in late October and early November shifted in Obama's favor, and Obama was able to successfully make the race near tied. Although Romney had won the final poll by 2 points, 50% to 48%, the average of the last three polls showed Obama leading 49% to 48%.[18][19]
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Huffington Post[20] | Lean D | November 6, 2012 |
| CNN[21] | Tossup | November 6, 2012 |
| New York Times[22] | Tossup | November 6, 2012 |
| Washington Post[23] | Tossup | November 6, 2012 |
| RealClearPolitics[24] | Tossup | November 6, 2012 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[25] | Lean R(flip) | November 5, 2012 |
| FiveThirtyEight[26] | Likely D | November 6, 2012 |
| United States presidential election in Virginia, 2012[27] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Running mate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Barack Obama(incumbent) | Joe Biden(incumbent) | 1,971,820 | 51.16% | 13 | |
| Republican | Mitt Romney | Paul Ryan | 1,822,522 | 47.28% | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson | Jim Gray | 31,216 | 0.81% | 0 | |
| Constitution | Virgil Goode | Jim Clymer | 13,058 | 0.34% | 0 | |
| Green | Jill Stein | Cheri Honkala | 8,627 | 0.22% | 0 | |
| Write-ins | Write-ins | 7,246 | 0.19% | 0 | ||
| Totals | 3,854,489 | 100.00% | 13 | |||
| County/City | Barack Obama Democratic | Mitt Romney Republican | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Accomack | 7,655 | 47.69% | 8,213 | 51.17% | 183 | 1.14% | -558 | -3.48% | 16,051 |
| Albemarle | 29,757 | 55.20% | 23,297 | 43.22% | 853 | 1.58% | 6,460 | 11.98% | 53,907 |
| Alexandria | 52,199 | 71.11% | 20,249 | 27.58% | 963 | 1.31% | 31,950 | 43.53% | 73,411 |
| Alleghany | 3,403 | 47.44% | 3,595 | 50.12% | 175 | 2.44% | -192 | -2.68% | 7,173 |
| Amelia | 2,490 | 36.01% | 4,331 | 62.63% | 94 | 1.36% | -1,841 | -26.62% | 6,915 |
| Amherst | 5,900 | 39.41% | 8,876 | 59.29% | 194 | 1.30% | -2,976 | -19.88% | 14,970 |
| Appomattox | 2,453 | 30.91% | 5,340 | 67.30% | 142 | 1.79% | -2,887 | -36.39% | 7,935 |
| Arlington | 81,269 | 69.10% | 34,474 | 29.31% | 1,865 | 1.59% | 46,795 | 39.79% | 117,608 |
| Augusta | 9,451 | 28.07% | 23,624 | 70.16% | 597 | 1.77% | -14,173 | -42.09% | 33,672 |
| Bath | 894 | 40.22% | 1,274 | 57.31% | 55 | 2.47% | -380 | -17.09% | 2,223 |
| Bedford | 10,209 | 27.28% | 26,679 | 71.29% | 537 | 1.43% | -16,470 | -44.01% | 37,425 |
| Bland | 735 | 24.93% | 2,144 | 72.73% | 69 | 2.34% | -1,409 | -47.80% | 2,948 |
| Botetourt | 5,452 | 29.89% | 12,479 | 68.41% | 310 | 1.70% | -7,027 | -38.52% | 18,241 |
| Bristol | 2,492 | 33.73% | 4,780 | 64.71% | 115 | 1.56% | -2,288 | -30.98% | 7,387 |
| Brunswick | 4,994 | 62.14% | 2,968 | 36.93% | 75 | 0.93% | 2,026 | 25.21% | 8,037 |
| Buchanan | 3,094 | 32.08% | 6,436 | 66.72% | 116 | 1.20% | -3,342 | -34.64% | 9,646 |
| Buckingham | 3,750 | 50.29% | 3,569 | 47.86% | 138 | 1.85% | 181 | 2.43% | 7,457 |
| Buena Vista | 919 | 36.38% | 1,564 | 61.92% | 43 | 1.70% | -645 | -25.54% | 2,526 |
| Campbell | 7,595 | 29.56% | 17,695 | 68.86% | 406 | 1.58% | -10,100 | -39.30% | 25,696 |
| Caroline | 7,276 | 53.30% | 6,151 | 45.06% | 225 | 1.64% | 1,125 | 8.24% | 13,652 |
| Carroll | 3,685 | 28.53% | 8,736 | 67.63% | 497 | 3.84% | -5,051 | -39.10% | 12,918 |
| Charles City | 2,772 | 65.50% | 1,396 | 32.99% | 64 | 1.51% | 1,376 | 32.51% | 4,232 |
| Charlotte | 2,503 | 42.44% | 3,311 | 56.14% | 84 | 1.42% | -808 | -13.70% | 5,898 |
| Charlottesville | 16,510 | 75.74% | 4,844 | 22.22% | 443 | 2.04% | 11,666 | 53.52% | 21,797 |
| Chesapeake | 55,052 | 49.85% | 53,900 | 48.81% | 1,473 | 1.34% | 1,152 | 1.04% | 110,425 |
| Chesterfield | 77,694 | 45.44% | 90,934 | 53.18% | 2,360 | 1.38% | -13,240 | -7.74% | 170,988 |
| Clarke | 3,239 | 41.73% | 4,296 | 55.35% | 227 | 2.92% | -1,057 | -13.62% | 7,762 |
| Colonial Heights | 2,544 | 29.50% | 5,941 | 68.89% | 139 | 1.61% | -3,397 | -39.39% | 8,624 |
| Covington | 1,319 | 56.61% | 975 | 41.85% | 36 | 1.55% | 344 | 14.76% | 2,330 |
| Craig | 830 | 31.12% | 1,757 | 65.88% | 80 | 3.00% | -927 | -34.76% | 2,667 |
| Culpeper | 8,285 | 40.99% | 11,580 | 57.30% | 346 | 1.71% | -3,295 | -16.31% | 20,211 |
| Cumberland | 2,422 | 47.98% | 2,538 | 50.28% | 88 | 1.74% | -116 | -2.30% | 5,048 |
| Danville | 12,218 | 60.47% | 7,763 | 38.42% | 223 | 1.11% | 4,455 | 22.05% | 20,204 |
| Dickenson | 2,473 | 35.82% | 4,274 | 61.91% | 157 | 2.27% | -1,801 | -26.09% | 6,904 |
| Dinwiddie | 6,550 | 48.20% | 6,875 | 50.59% | 164 | 1.21% | -325 | -2.39% | 13,589 |
| Emporia | 1,793 | 66.51% | 886 | 32.86% | 17 | 0.63% | 907 | 33.65% | 2,696 |
| Essex | 3,016 | 53.15% | 2,602 | 45.85% | 57 | 1.00% | 414 | 7.30% | 5,675 |
| Fairfax | 315,273 | 59.57% | 206,773 | 39.07% | 7,241 | 1.36% | 108,500 | 20.50% | 529,287 |
| Fairfax City | 6,651 | 57.19% | 4,775 | 41.06% | 203 | 1.75% | 1,876 | 16.13% | 11,629 |
| Falls Church | 5,015 | 68.93% | 2,147 | 29.51% | 114 | 1.56% | 2,868 | 39.42% | 7,276 |
| Fauquier | 13,965 | 39.28% | 21,034 | 59.16% | 556 | 1.56% | -7,069 | -19.88% | 35,555 |
| Floyd | 2,732 | 35.74% | 4,673 | 61.13% | 239 | 3.13% | -1,941 | -25.39% | 7,644 |
| Fluvanna | 5,893 | 46.22% | 6,678 | 52.38% | 178 | 1.40% | -785 | -6.16% | 12,749 |
| Franklin | 9,090 | 34.04% | 16,718 | 62.60% | 899 | 3.36% | -7,628 | -28.56% | 26,707 |
| Franklin City | 2,833 | 64.98% | 1,496 | 34.31% | 31 | 0.71% | 1,337 | 30.67% | 4,360 |
| Frederick | 12,690 | 34.87% | 22,858 | 62.81% | 846 | 2.32% | -10,168 | -27.94% | 36,394 |
| Fredericksburg | 7,131 | 62.35% | 4,060 | 35.50% | 246 | 2.15% | 3,071 | 26.85% | 11,437 |
| Galax | 900 | 39.53% | 1,332 | 58.50% | 45 | 1.97% | -432 | -18.97% | 2,277 |
| Giles | 2,730 | 36.12% | 4,660 | 61.66% | 168 | 2.22% | -1,930 | -25.54% | 7,558 |
| Gloucester | 6,764 | 35.08% | 12,137 | 62.94% | 382 | 1.98% | -5,373 | -27.86% | 19,283 |
| Goochland | 4,676 | 35.12% | 8,448 | 63.45% | 191 | 1.43% | -3,772 | -28.33% | 13,315 |
| Grayson | 2,068 | 29.04% | 4,801 | 67.42% | 252 | 3.54% | -2,733 | -38.38% | 7,121 |
| Greene | 3,290 | 36.46% | 5,569 | 61.72% | 164 | 1.82% | -2,279 | -25.26% | 9,023 |
| Greensville | 3,135 | 63.64% | 1,766 | 35.85% | 25 | 0.51% | 1,369 | 27.79% | 4,926 |
| Halifax | 7,766 | 46.53% | 8,694 | 52.08% | 232 | 1.39% | -928 | -5.55% | 16,692 |
| Hampton | 46,966 | 70.64% | 18,640 | 28.03% | 884 | 1.33% | 28,326 | 42.61% | 66,490 |
| Hanover | 18,294 | 30.98% | 39,940 | 67.63% | 824 | 1.39% | -21,646 | -36.65% | 59,058 |
| Harrisonburg | 8,654 | 55.50% | 6,565 | 42.10% | 374 | 2.40% | 2,089 | 13.40% | 15,593 |
| Henrico | 89,594 | 55.22% | 70,449 | 43.42% | 2,198 | 1.36% | 19,145 | 11.80% | 162,241 |
| Henry | 10,317 | 41.33% | 13,984 | 56.02% | 662 | 2.65% | -3,667 | -14.69% | 24,963 |
| Highland | 459 | 32.48% | 924 | 65.39% | 30 | 2.13% | -465 | -32.91% | 1,413 |
| Hopewell | 5,179 | 57.35% | 3,739 | 41.40% | 113 | 1.25% | 1,440 | 15.95% | 9,031 |
| Isle of Wight | 8,761 | 42.07% | 11,802 | 56.67% | 264 | 1.26% | -3,041 | -14.60% | 20,827 |
| James City | 17,879 | 43.35% | 22,843 | 55.39% | 518 | 1.26% | -4,964 | -12.04% | 41,240 |
| King and Queen | 1,745 | 47.74% | 1,865 | 51.03% | 45 | 1.23% | -120 | -3.29% | 3,655 |
| King George | 4,477 | 39.53% | 6,604 | 58.31% | 244 | 2.16% | -2,127 | -18.78% | 11,325 |
| King William | 3,344 | 37.48% | 5,466 | 61.26% | 113 | 1.26% | -2,122 | -23.78% | 8,923 |
| Lancaster | 3,149 | 45.24% | 3,753 | 53.91% | 59 | 0.85% | -604 | -8.67% | 6,961 |
| Lee | 2,583 | 26.91% | 6,847 | 71.34% | 168 | 1.75% | -4,264 | -44.43% | 9,598 |
| Lexington | 1,486 | 55.30% | 1,146 | 42.65% | 55 | 2.05% | 340 | 12.65% | 2,687 |
| Loudoun | 82,479 | 51.53% | 75,292 | 47.04% | 2,289 | 1.43% | 7,187 | 4.49% | 160,060 |
| Louisa | 6,953 | 42.26% | 9,215 | 56.01% | 284 | 1.73% | -2,262 | -13.75% | 16,452 |
| Lunenburg | 2,684 | 46.81% | 2,969 | 51.78% | 81 | 1.41% | -285 | -4.97% | 5,734 |
| Lynchburg | 15,948 | 43.76% | 19,806 | 54.34% | 694 | 1.90% | -3,858 | -10.58% | 36,448 |
| Madison | 2,639 | 39.90% | 3,869 | 58.50% | 106 | 1.60% | -1,230 | -18.60% | 6,614 |
| Manassas | 8,478 | 55.78% | 6,463 | 42.52% | 259 | 1.70% | 2,015 | 13.26% | 15,200 |
| Manassas Park | 2,879 | 61.83% | 1,699 | 36.49% | 78 | 1.68% | 1,180 | 25.34% | 4,656 |
| Martinsville | 3,855 | 61.35% | 2,312 | 36.79% | 117 | 1.86% | 1,543 | 24.56% | 6,284 |
| Mathews | 1,807 | 33.62% | 3,488 | 64.91% | 79 | 1.47% | -1,681 | -31.29% | 5,374 |
| Mecklenburg | 6,921 | 45.90% | 7,973 | 52.88% | 183 | 1.22% | -1,052 | -6.98% | 15,077 |
| Middlesex | 2,370 | 38.98% | 3,619 | 59.52% | 91 | 1.50% | -1,249 | -20.54% | 6,080 |
| Montgomery | 19,903 | 48.53% | 20,006 | 48.78% | 1,100 | 2.69% | -103 | -0.25% | 41,009 |
| Nelson | 4,171 | 50.56% | 3,947 | 47.84% | 132 | 1.60% | 224 | 2.72% | 8,250 |
| New Kent | 3,555 | 32.46% | 7,246 | 66.16% | 152 | 1.38% | -3,691 | -33.70% | 10,953 |
| Newport News | 51,100 | 64.32% | 27,230 | 34.28% | 1,114 | 1.40% | 23,870 | 30.04% | 79,444 |
| Norfolk | 62,687 | 72.02% | 23,147 | 26.59% | 1,209 | 1.39% | 39,540 | 45.43% | 87,043 |
| Northampton | 3,741 | 57.63% | 2,676 | 41.23% | 74 | 1.14% | 1,065 | 16.40% | 6,491 |
| Northumberland | 3,191 | 42.22% | 4,310 | 57.03% | 57 | 0.75% | -1,119 | -14.81% | 7,558 |
| Norton | 566 | 37.94% | 895 | 59.99% | 31 | 2.07% | -329 | -22.05% | 1,492 |
| Nottoway | 3,344 | 48.85% | 3,409 | 49.80% | 93 | 1.35% | -65 | -0.95% | 6,846 |
| Orange | 6,870 | 42.01% | 9,244 | 56.52% | 240 | 1.47% | -2,374 | -14.51% | 16,354 |
| Page | 3,724 | 36.41% | 6,344 | 62.03% | 160 | 1.56% | -2,620 | -25.62% | 10,228 |
| Patrick | 2,417 | 29.27% | 5,622 | 68.07% | 220 | 2.66% | -3,205 | -38.80% | 8,259 |
| Petersburg | 14,283 | 89.79% | 1,527 | 9.60% | 98 | 0.61% | 12,756 | 80.19% | 15,908 |
| Pittsylvania | 10,858 | 35.39% | 19,263 | 62.78% | 560 | 1.83% | -8,405 | -27.39% | 30,681 |
| Poquoson | 1,679 | 23.63% | 5,312 | 74.75% | 115 | 1.62% | -3,633 | -51.12% | 7,106 |
| Portsmouth | 32,501 | 70.77% | 12,858 | 28.00% | 563 | 1.23% | 19,643 | 42.77% | 45,922 |
| Powhatan | 4,088 | 26.33% | 11,200 | 72.14% | 237 | 1.53% | -7,112 | -45.81% | 15,525 |
| Prince Edward | 5,132 | 55.55% | 3,952 | 42.78% | 155 | 1.67% | 1,180 | 12.77% | 9,239 |
| Prince George | 6,991 | 43.57% | 8,879 | 55.33% | 176 | 1.10% | -1,888 | -11.76% | 16,046 |
| Prince William | 103,331 | 57.34% | 74,458 | 41.32% | 2,406 | 1.34% | 28,873 | 16.02% | 180,195 |
| Pulaski | 5,292 | 36.05% | 8,920 | 60.76% | 468 | 3.19% | -3,628 | -24.71% | 14,680 |
| Radford | 2,732 | 50.60% | 2,520 | 46.68% | 147 | 2.72% | 212 | 3.92% | 5,399 |
| Rappahannock | 1,980 | 45.44% | 2,311 | 53.04% | 66 | 1.52% | -331 | -7.60% | 4,357 |
| Richmond | 1,574 | 41.75% | 2,160 | 57.29% | 36 | 0.96% | -586 | -15.54% | 3,770 |
| Richmond City | 75,921 | 77.81% | 20,050 | 20.55% | 1,598 | 1.64% | 55,871 | 57.26% | 97,569 |
| Roanoke | 18,711 | 36.53% | 31,624 | 61.75% | 882 | 1.72% | -12,913 | -25.22% | 51,217 |
| Roanoke City | 24,134 | 60.10% | 14,991 | 37.33% | 1,030 | 2.57% | 9,143 | 22.77% | 40,155 |
| Rockbridge | 4,088 | 40.17% | 5,898 | 57.95% | 191 | 1.88% | -1,810 | -17.78% | 10,177 |
| Rockingham | 10,065 | 28.87% | 24,186 | 69.37% | 615 | 1.76% | -14,121 | -40.50% | 34,866 |
| Russell | 3,718 | 30.76% | 8,180 | 67.67% | 190 | 1.57% | -4,462 | -36.91% | 12,088 |
| Salem | 4,760 | 38.64% | 7,299 | 59.25% | 259 | 2.11% | -2,539 | -20.61% | 12,318 |
| Scott | 2,395 | 23.97% | 7,439 | 74.45% | 158 | 1.58% | -5,044 | -50.48% | 9,992 |
| Shenandoah | 6,469 | 33.39% | 12,538 | 64.72% | 366 | 1.89% | -6,069 | -31.33% | 19,373 |
| Smyth | 4,171 | 32.64% | 8,379 | 65.58% | 227 | 1.78% | -4,208 | -32.94% | 12,777 |
| Southampton | 4,437 | 47.90% | 4,733 | 51.09% | 94 | 1.01% | -296 | -3.19% | 9,264 |
| Spotsylvania | 25,165 | 43.41% | 31,844 | 54.93% | 965 | 1.66% | -6,679 | -11.52% | 57,974 |
| Stafford | 27,182 | 44.87% | 32,480 | 53.61% | 921 | 1.52% | -5,298 | -8.74% | 60,583 |
| Staunton | 5,728 | 51.10% | 5,272 | 47.03% | 210 | 1.87% | 456 | 4.07% | 11,210 |
| Suffolk | 24,267 | 57.01% | 17,820 | 41.86% | 479 | 1.13% | 6,447 | 15.15% | 42,566 |
| Surry | 2,576 | 59.80% | 1,671 | 38.79% | 61 | 1.41% | 905 | 21.01% | 4,308 |
| Sussex | 3,358 | 61.73% | 2,021 | 37.15% | 61 | 1.12% | 1,337 | 24.58% | 5,440 |
| Tazewell | 3,661 | 20.65% | 13,843 | 78.07% | 228 | 1.28% | -10,182 | -57.42% | 17,732 |
| Virginia Beach | 94,299 | 47.95% | 99,291 | 50.49% | 3,051 | 1.56% | -4,992 | -2.54% | 196,641 |
| Warren | 6,452 | 38.64% | 9,869 | 59.10% | 377 | 2.26% | -3,417 | -20.46% | 16,698 |
| Washington | 7,076 | 27.61% | 18,141 | 70.77% | 415 | 1.62% | -11,065 | -43.16% | 25,632 |
| Waynesboro | 3,840 | 43.68% | 4,790 | 54.49% | 161 | 1.83% | -950 | -10.81% | 8,791 |
| Westmoreland | 4,295 | 52.89% | 3,731 | 45.95% | 94 | 1.16% | 564 | 6.94% | 8,120 |
| Williamsburg | 4,903 | 63.28% | 2,682 | 34.62% | 163 | 2.10% | 2,221 | 28.66% | 7,748 |
| Winchester | 5,094 | 49.48% | 4,946 | 48.04% | 256 | 2.48% | 148 | 1.44% | 10,296 |
| Wise | 3,760 | 25.04% | 11,076 | 73.75% | 182 | 1.21% | -7,316 | -48.71% | 15,018 |
| Wythe | 3,783 | 30.61% | 8,324 | 67.36% | 251 | 2.03% | -4,541 | -36.75% | 12,358 |
| York | 13,183 | 38.83% | 20,204 | 59.51% | 566 | 1.66% | -7,021 | -20.68% | 33,953 |
| Totals | 1,971,820 | 51.16% | 1,822,522 | 47.28% | 60,147 | 1.56% | 149,298 | 3.88% | 3,854,489 |
| Democratic Hold | Republican Hold Gain from Democratic |
Despite losing the state, Romney won seven of 11 congressional districts, while Obama won four, including one held by a Republican.[28]
| District | Romney | Obama | Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 53.1% | 45.6% | Rob Wittman |
| 2nd | 48.6% | 50.1% | Scott Rigell |
| 3rd | 19.99% | 78.96% | Bobby Scott |
| 4th | 50.14% | 48.77% | Randy Forbes |
| 5th | 52.55% | 45.88% | Robert Hurt |
| 6th | 58.84% | 39.46% | Bob Goodlatte |
| 7th | 56.94% | 41.72% | Eric Cantor |
| 8th | 31.0% | 67.76% | Jim Moran |
| 9th | 63.08% | 34.9% | Morgan Griffith |
| 10th | 49.9% | 48.8% | Frank Wolf |
| 11th | 36.3% | 62.46% | Gerry Connolly |
This was the first election since1976 in which Virginia did not vote in the same way as neighboringNorth Carolina, and the first election ever in which Virginia voted Democratic while North Carolina voted Republican, which has occurred again in every subsequent election. Virginia was the only state that backed Obama twice that didn't backBill Clinton in either of his runs for president in1992 and1996.
DespiteIndiana and neighboringNorth Carolina flipping back into theRepublican column, Virginia remained in the Democratic column, voting forPresidentObama with a margin of 3.88%, albeit a reduced margin from2008 when he carried it by 6.30%.[29] 2008 was the first time a Democrat carried the state of Virginia sinceLyndon B. Johnson carried it in his landslide1964 election.[30] Republican support, which had been anchored by the historically RepublicanD.C.suburbs, dwindled as the population grew. According to 270toWin, Obama carried Northern Virginia by 59.8% to Romney's 38.8%, a 21% margin, a great improvement fromAl Gore's 3.2% win againstGeorge W. Bush in2000 andJohn Kerry's 7.9% win against Bush in2004.[3] The leftward shift of college-educated whites and dominance by the unabashedly liberal District of Columbia only furthered Democratic margins. Widening margins inNorthern Virginia allowed Obama to counteract losses inSouthwest Virginia as the Democrats increasingly supported environmentalist policies making them unpopular amongstAppalachian voters. Consequently, Democrats were able to comfortably carry it in every election following 2008: a Republican wouldn't win statewide public office in Virginia untilGlenn Youngkin won the2021 gubernatorial election.
According to exit polls fromThe New York Times,[31] voter demographics were split. Romney carried men 51-47 while Obama carried women 54–45. Men and women make up 47% and 53% of the electorate, respectively. While Romney expectedly carriedwhite voters in a 61-37 landslide, Obama was able to offset these wins with 93–6, 64–33, and 66-32 landslides amongAfrican Americans,Hispanics, andAsians, respectively. Cumulatively, these minorities consisted of 28% of the electorate. Splits among age groups were also obvious:voters 18 to 29 and 30 to 44 favored Obama 61-36 and 54–45, respectively, while voters aged 46–64 favored the Republican ticket 53-44 and 65+ favored them 54–46. Romney was able to carry three of four education groups: those with no, some, or a college degree favored Romney by narrow margins of 50–49, 51–47, and 50–48, respectively, but Obama canceled out these wins with a 57–42 win amongpostgraduates. Respectively, these groups comprise 46%, 25%, 30%, and 24% of voters. Self-identifiedmoderates were carried by Obama 56–42, butIndependents flipped back into the Republican column, backing Romney 54–43 after backing Obama by 1 percentage point in 2008.
Economic status also showed a clear political divide in exit polls. The president's strength came from lower-income voters: he carried those with an income under $30,000 by 61-38 and an income $30,000 to $50,000 by 60–38. Meanwhile, Romney carried those making over $50,000 by 52-47 and over $100,000 by 51–47. However, Romney's close win among theupper middle class was a good sign for Democrats: Bush carried them 57–43 in 2004, a 14-point win, and it solidified suburban Northern Virginia's shift left.
In terms of county performance, Romney flipped two counties back into the Republican column, includingMontgomery, home toVirginia Tech inBlacksburg.[29]King and Queen County also returned to the Republican column, thereby making Obama the first Democrat to win the White House without carrying this county. Obama racked up his greatest margins inindependent cities, where he received upwards of 70% of the vote in many of them.Petersburg gave 89.79% of its vote to the Democratic ticket. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Romney's best performances were inSouthwest Virginia and theShenandoah Valley, where he garnered over 60% of ballots cast.
Despite polls predicting a close race, Obama's comfortable margin in Virginia solidified the state's shift to the Democrats.[32] In2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton would win the state by 5.32% againstDonald Trump, one of the few states where she improved on Obama's margins despite losing the election nationwide.[33] In2020,Joe Biden won the state by 10.11%, the best margin for a Democrat sinceFranklin D. Roosevelt's 24.97% margin in1944.[34]
| Demographic subgroup | Obama | Romney | % of total vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ideology | |||
| Liberals | 92 | 7 | 24 |
| Moderates | 56 | 42 | 45 |
| Conservatives | 11 | 87 | 31 |
| Party | |||
| Democrats | 94 | 6 | 39 |
| Republicans | 5 | 94 | 32 |
| Independents | 43 | 54 | 29 |
| Age | |||
| 18–29 years old | 61 | 36 | 19 |
| 30–44 years old | 54 | 45 | 27 |
| 45–64 years old | 46 | 53 | 41 |
| 65 and older | 46 | 54 | 14 |
| Gender | |||
| Men | 47 | 51 | 47 |
| Women | 54 | 45 | 53 |
| Marital status | |||
| Married | 44 | 55 | 62 |
| Unmarried | 61 | 37 | 38 |
| Race/ethnicity | |||
| White | 37 | 61 | 70 |
| Black | 93 | 6 | 20 |
| Latino | 64 | 33 | 5 |
| Asian | 66 | 32 | 3 |
| Education | |||
| Never attendedcollege | 49 | 50 | 46 |
| Some college education | 47 | 51 | 25 |
| College graduate | 48 | 50 | 30 |
| Advanced degree | 57 | 42 | 24 |
| Income | |||
| Under $30K | 61 | 38 | 18 |
| $30K-$49K | 60 | 38 | 18 |
| $50K or more | 47 | 52 | 65 |
| $100K or more | 47 | 51 | 34 |
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