November 7, 2012

By Matthew Flores

In a hard-fought, drawn-out election that was supposed to keep a nation of voters holding its collective breath late into the night, the clock struck midnight on the Romney campaign before Tuesday even ended.

President Barack Obama was elected to a second term as president of the United States on Tuesday night, defeating Republican challenger and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

The result was announced after Obama won Ohio’s 18 electoral votes, putting his campaign over the 270-vote threshold needed to win the presidency.

The crucial swing state capped a night in which Obama took seven of the eight projected battleground states. Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Hampshire and Virginia all voted for the incumbent.

In a flashback to the 2000 presidential election, the two candidates were separated by only thousands of votes out of more than 6 million cast in Florida, with 90 percent of the precincts reporting.

At time of print, with the Florida results still unannounced, Obama had 303 electoral college votes to Romney’s 206 and led the popular vote with 50 percent to Romney’s 49 percent, a difference of about 1.5 million votes.

Missouri’s 10 electoral college votes went to Romney, continuing the state’s trend of voting for the Republican candidate.

Romney took the stage at his campaign watch party in Boston and conceded the race to Obama in front of a gathered crowd of supporters.

“I have just called President Obama to congratulate him on his victory,” Romney said. “His supporters and his campaign also deserve congratulations.”

He also addressed the current political gridlock in Washington, D.C.

“The nation, as you know, is at a critical point,” Romney said. “At a time like this, we can’t risk partisan bickering and political posturing. Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people’s work.”

Later that night, Obama appeared in front of thousands at his campaign rally in Chicago to deliver his acceptance speech.

“Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come,” Obama said.

Obama spoke of the progress his administration has made since first being elected in 2008.

“And whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you, I have learned from you, and you’ve made me a better president,” he said. “And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead.”