Barack Obama

===2012===
{{Main|2012 United States presidential election|Barack Obama 2012 presidential campaign}}
[[File:ElectoralCollege2012.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|alt=Electoral college map, depicting Obama winning many states in the Northeast, Midwest, and Pacific West, and Florida, and Romney winning many states in the South and Rocky Mountains.|2012 electoral vote results. Obama won 332–206.]]

On April 4, 2011, Obama filed election papers with the [[Federal Election Commission]] and then announced his reelection campaign for 2012 in a video titled "It Begins with Us" that he posted on his website.<ref>{{cite news |title = Obama Begins Re-Election Facing New Political Challenges |url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/obama-launches-re-election-facing-new-political-challenges/ |date = April 4, 2011 |first = Michael D. |last = Shear |work = The New York Times (blog) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110405205656/http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/obama-launches-re-election-facing-new-political-challenges/ |archive-date = April 5, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = Obama announces re-election bid |url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/04/04/Obama-announces-re-election-bid/UPI-95081301905800/?dailybrief |date = April 4, 2011 |work = [[United Press International]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510011832/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/04/04/Obama-announces-re-election-bid/UPI-95081301905800/?dailybrief |archive-date = May 10, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = Obama Opens 2012 Campaign, With Eye on Money and Independent Voters |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/us/politics/05obama.html |date = April 4, 2011 |first1 = Jeff |last1 = Zeleny |work = The New York Times |first2 = Jackie |last2 = Calmes |name-list-style = amp |access-date = April 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115021431/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/05/us/politics/05obama.html|archive-date=November 15, 2012 }}</ref> As the incumbent president, he ran virtually unopposed in the [[Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2012|Democratic Party presidential primaries]],<ref name="CNN-clinch1">{{cite news |url = http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/03/leading-presidential-candidate-to-clinch-nomination-tuesday/ |title = Leading presidential candidate to clinch nomination Tuesday |publisher = CNN (blog) |last = Yoon |first = Robert |date = April 3, 2012 |access-date = May 2, 2012 |archive-date = April 26, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120426082004/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/03/leading-presidential-candidate-to-clinch-nomination-tuesday/ |url-status = dead }}</ref> and on April 3, 2012, Obama secured the 2778 [[2012 Democratic National Convention|convention]] delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination.<ref name="CNN-clinch2">{{cite news |url = http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/03/breaking-obama-clinches-democratic-nomination/ |title = Obama clinches Democratic nomination |publisher = CNN (blog) |date = April 3, 2012 |access-date = April 3, 2012 |archive-date = April 4, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120404203415/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/03/breaking-obama-clinches-democratic-nomination/ |url-status = dead }}</ref> At the [[2012 Democratic National Convention|Democratic National Convention]] in [[Charlotte, North Carolina]], Obama and Joe Biden were formally nominated by former President Bill Clinton as the Democratic Party candidates for president and vice president in the general election. Their main opponents were Republicans [[Mitt Romney]], the former governor of Massachusetts, and Representative [[Paul Ryan]] of Wisconsin.<ref>{{cite news |last = Cohen |first = Tom |title = Clinton says Obama offers a better path forward for America |url = http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/05/politics/democratic-convention-wrap/index.html |publisher = CNN |date = September 6, 2012 |access-date = July 5, 2015 |archive-date = July 6, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150706115632/http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/05/politics/democratic-convention-wrap/index.html |url-status = live }}</ref>

On November 6, 2012, Obama won 332 electoral votes, exceeding the 270 required for him to be reelected as president.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lauter |first=David |title=Romney campaign gives up in Florida |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/la-pn-romney-concedes-florida-election-20121108,0,415187.story |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109020204/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/la-pn-romney-concedes-florida-election-20121108%2C0%2C415187.story |archive-date=November 9, 2012 |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=November 8, 2012 |access-date=July 5, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last = Barnes |first = Robert |title = Obama wins a second term as U.S. president |url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/after-grueling-campaign-polls-open-for-election-day-2012/2012/11/06/d1c24c98-2802-11e2-b4e0-346287b7e56c_story.html |newspaper = The Washington Post |date = November 6, 2012 |access-date = July 5, 2015 |archive-date = April 17, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150417162701/http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/decision2012/after-grueling-campaign-polls-open-for-election-day-2012/2012/11/06/d1c24c98-2802-11e2-b4e0-346287b7e56c_story.html |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1 = Welch |first1 = William M. |last2 = Strauss |first2 = Gary |title = With win in critical battleground states, Obama wins second term |url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2012/11/06/election-day-obama-romney/1680933/ |newspaper = USA Today |date = November 7, 2012 |access-date = July 5, 2015 |archive-date = June 16, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150616201528/http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2012/11/06/election-day-obama-romney/1680933/ |url-status = live }}</ref> With 51.1 percent of the popular vote,<ref name="FEC">{{cite web |url=http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2012/federalelections2012.pdf |title = Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives |publisher = [[Federal Elections Commission]] |author = FEC |date = July 2013 |access-date = August 20, 2013 |page = 5 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131002094824/http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2012/federalelections2012.pdf |archive-date = October 2, 2013 |url-status = dead }}</ref> Obama became the first Democratic president since [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] to win the [[List of United States presidential elections by popular vote margin|majority of the popular vote]] twice.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brownstein |first=Ronald |title=The U.S. has reached a demographic milestone—and it's not turning back |url=http://www.nationaljournal.com/thenextamerica/demographics/the-u-s-has-reached-a-demographic-milestone-and-it-s-not-turning-back-20121109 |work=[[National Journal]] |date=November 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111231854/http://www.nationaljournal.com/thenextamerica/demographics/the-u-s-has-reached-a-demographic-milestone-and-it-s-not-turning-back-20121109 |archive-date=November 11, 2012 |access-date=July 5, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.thenation.com/blog/171178/obama-has-great-big-mandate-and-he-must-use-it |title = Obama's 3 Million Vote, Electoral College Landslide, Majority of States Mandate |last = Nichols |first = John |date = November 9, 2012 |work = The Nation |access-date = November 18, 2012 |archive-date = November 27, 2012 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121127235843/http://www.thenation.com/blog/171178/obama-has-great-big-mandate-and-he-must-use-it |url-status = live }}</ref> Obama addressed supporters and volunteers at Chicago's [[McCormick Place]] after his reelection and said: "Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties."<ref>{{cite news|last=Lee|first=Kristen A.|title=Election 2012: President Obama gives victory speech in front of thousands in Chicago, 'I have never been more hopeful about America{{'-}}|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/president-obama-victory-speech-hopeful-america-article-1.1197895|access-date=November 8, 2012|newspaper=Daily News|location=New York|date=November 7, 2012|archive-date=November 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109073355/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/president-obama-victory-speech-hopeful-america-article-1.1197895|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYT20130121">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/22/us/politics/obama-inauguration-draws-hundreds-of-thousands.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121151143/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/22/us/politics/obama-inauguration-draws-hundreds-of-thousands.html |archive-date=January 21, 2013 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|title=Obama Offers Liberal Vision: 'We Must Act{{'-}}|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|first=Michael|last=Shear|date=January 21, 2013|access-date=July 10, 2013}}</ref>