How did Obama win 2012 election?

Answer 1

This is a question that is still being analyzed and debated; but most political scientists and students of politics believe that President Obama ran a better campaign than Mitt Romney did; despite an economic recovery that was moving more slowly than Mr. Obama had wanted, he was able to persuade voters that he was a better choice than his Republican challenger. It is certainly true that some Americans thought Mr. Romney would be a good person to improve the American economy-- he was a well-known business executive and venture capitalist. But because of some controversial comments that he made about how 47% of the public were "takers", as well as reports about some of his business decisions (including sending thousands of American jobs overseas), he was perceived by a majority of Americans as a candidate whose policies would mainly help the rich, and someone who supported the needs of big corporations rather than the average person. Meanwhile, the Republican party's extreme turn to the right on social issues such as Birth Control and abortion also alienated many moderates and young women.

Further, the Republican party was unable to move beyond its base supporters (white males, evangelical Christians, and older voters), while the Obama campaign was able to expand its electorate by gaining the support of Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans, and (again) young voters. Also, the president's "ground game" of identifying likely voters and getting them to the polls worked far more effectively than Mr. Romney's did. The president's team also made very effective use of social media, especially Twitter.

When surveyed prior to the election, voters repeatedly said that while they did not agree with his every decision, they liked and trusted Mr. Obama much more than they liked and trusted Mr. Romney. Thus, the president was able to persuade the majority of Americans that he was moving the country in the right direction and deserved four more years to continue improving the economy and getting more Americans back to work.