After months of constant campaigning and millions upon millions of dollars spent on ads, this election came down to one night. Tuesday, November 6, will go down in history as one of America’s most telling moments. It will be marked as the end of a long journey and after months of rhetoric and campaign speeches, the voters traveled to the polls and let their voices be heard.
The night was long and filled with ups and downs for both campaigns. The major candidates, with the exception of the President, each voted in their home states early in the day. Both sides even held last minute campaign stops; Romney stopped in Pennsylvania while Vice President Biden stopped in Ohio, two key battleground states. Each side was on a fierce run to 270 electoral college votes, the magic number needed to be elected President. Early predictions had President Obama winning a second term yet the night would be long and the possibility of recounts were all but guaranteed, therefore likelihood of not knowing who won for perhaps several days loomed.
As the night moved forward, many states voted in their projected paths. However, the election was quickly coming down to few key states. While Iowa, Nevada, and Virginia were early states that proved to be close. The biggest prizes of the night proved to be Colorado, Florida, and Ohio. The road to 270 ran through these states and helped decide the entire presidential election.
Ohio, throughout the night, seemed to be a neck-and-neck race until late when the numbers seemed to lean toward the President. However, the President would win some key swing states later in the night, such as Iowa and Wisconsin, and at 9:15 PM Mountain Time, news stations around the nation and around the world began to announce victory for President Obama. Colorado officially put the President over the top in terms of electoral votes and help seal his win. Florida was a late decision, but the state ultimately went to President Obama, further extending his electoral and popular vote lead over Governor Mitt Romney.
Voter turnout remained high with minorities, women, and young voters essential demographics to both campaigns. President Obama, as he did in 2008, received support from such groups winning with comfortable margins, especially among Hispanic and Latino voters. Governor Romney did win amongst groups such as men, evangelicals, and older rural voters.
At the end of the day, President Obama ultimately won the popular vote by over one million votes, giving him a one percent advantage against Governor Romney. The President pulled out an impressive win, only losing two states he won in 2008 – Indiana and North Carolina.
November 6, 2012, will be seen as a historic date in the nation’s storied history. Despite it’s deep political divides, people turned out in record number and braved the harsh weather and long lines to cast their votes. The nation’s road ahead is difficult and the pundits and naysayers will say what they always do. America finds itself at a crossroads, in a still ailing economy with threats from the world beyond its shores, yet this year, and in this election, Americans have collectively made their voices heard and bent the arc of history towards the future.
