<P> As the incumbent president, Obama secured the Democratic nomination with no serious opposition . The Republicans experienced a competitive primary . Romney was consistently competitive in the polls and won the support of many party leaders, but he faced challenges from a number of more conservative contenders . Romney clinched his party's nomination in May, defeating Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and several other candidates . </P> <P> The campaigns focused heavily on domestic issues, and debate centered largely around sound responses to the Great Recession . Other issues included long - term federal budget issues, the future of social insurance programs, and the Affordable Care Act, Obama's marquee legislative program . Foreign policy was also discussed, including the phase - out of the Iraq War, military spending, the Iranian nuclear program, and appropriate counteractions to terrorism . The campaign was marked by a sharp rise in fundraising, including from nominally independent Super PACs . </P> <P> Obama defeated Romney, winning a majority of both the popular vote and the Electoral College . Obama won 51.1% of the popular vote compared to Romney's 47.2% . Obama was the first incumbent since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944 to win reelection with fewer electoral votes and a lower popular vote percentage than had been won in the previous election, and was also the first two - term president since Ronald Reagan to win both his presidential bids with a majority of the nationwide popular vote . </P> <P> In 2011, several state legislatures passed new voting laws, especially pertaining to voter identification, with the stated purpose of combating voter fraud; the laws were attacked, however, by the Democratic Party as attempts to suppress voting among its supporters and to improve the Republican Party's presidential prospects . Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia's state legislatures approved measures to shorten early voting periods . Florida and Iowa barred all felons from voting . Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin state legislatures passed laws requiring voters to have government - issued IDs before they could cast their ballots . This meant, typically, that people without driver's licenses or passports had to gain new forms of ID . Obama, the NAACP, and the Democratic Party fought against many of the new state laws . Former President Bill Clinton denounced them, saying, "There has never been in my lifetime, since we got rid of the poll tax and all the Jim Crow burdens on voting, the determined effort to limit the franchise that we see today". He was referring to Jim Crow laws passed in southern states near the turn of the twentieth century that disenfranchised most blacks from voting and excluded them from the political process for more than six decades . Clinton said the moves would effectively disenfranchise core voter blocs that trend liberal, including college students, Blacks, and Latinos . Rolling Stone magazine criticized the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) for lobbying in states to bring about these laws, to "solve" a problem that does not exist . The Obama campaign fought against the Ohio law, pushing for a petition and statewide referendum to repeal it in time for the 2012 election . </P>

Who won the popular vote in 2012 us presidential election