How did Barack Obama get elected for senator?

Answer 1

Like all US Presidents, Barack Obama was elected through the established election process under the United State's democracy. First he was "vetted" by the government and found to be eligible to run and occupy the Oval Office. Media, political opponents, and detractors actively looked for reasons he could not run and found nothing to support any cause for lack of eligibility. He won the election through the usual voting process.

He was sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Roberts, who was appointed by a Republican President. The Justice of the highest court in the land had determined there was no valid reason he should not be sworn in. The US Supreme Court dismissed and declined to hear several state, Federal and other law suits filed claiming he was not qualified, indicating there was no substance to the claims of ineligibility.

Answer 2

You did not specify which election you are asking about, but let's focus on the two presidential elections. Barack Obama won in 2008 because his campaign understood what was on the mind of average Americans. One important factor that year was the country was ready for a change: the general public had grown distrustful of the Bush administration, which was mired in various scandals and which was also mired in a very unpopular war in Iraq. John McCain, the Republican candidate for president, was widely seen as too old, out of touch with current issues, and someone who would continue the unpopular policies of President Bush. Barack Obama was elected because he represented someone new, someone with different ideas. Plus, he was an excellent speaker, ran a very effective campaign, and was able to mobilize young people, minorities, and women in large numbers. Their support helped him to get elected.

In 2012, even though the economy had been very slow to recover, Mr. Obama won re-election, in part due to the fact that his opponent, Mitt Romney, was perceived as a distant, aloof figure who only cared about the wealthy. Mr. Romney had a strong business background, but the general public never seemed to warm to him, and his campaign was not very effective in reaching out to youth or to minority voters. Once again, the Obama campaign was able to bring in core groups (including young voters, single women, African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, etc). And although his margin of victory was smaller than in 2008, President Obama was still able to win a second term.

Answer 3

The incumbent chose not to run for re-election. The first Republican nominee withdrew over allegations made by his ex-wife about their sex life. The second Republican nominee was from outside Illinois and had no credibility at all. Ergo, Obama wins the election.

Answer 4

This is an excellent question, because Mitt Romney was convinced he was going to win in a landslide. Several conservative pollsters said that as well, although it should be noted that objective polling firms did not share that view, predicting a very close election right up to the end. And to the surprise of many Republicans, President Obama was re-elected, and by a comfortable margin of victory. The reasons are complicated, but here are some of them:

President Obama was very popular with his supporters, but not as popular with Independents as he was in 2008. One thing that helped him to attract Independents and moderates occurred in the last week of the campaign-- his proactive response to Hurricane Sandy; it also helped that Chris Christie, a Republican governor, and a Romney supporter, praised him for being so available.

Another factor that helped the president was that the American public never really warmed up to Mitt Romney. Although some Americans thought Mr. Romney would be a good person to improve the American economy because he was a well-known business executive and venture capitalist, he was perceived by a majority of Americans as someone whose policies would mainly help the rich.

There were also other factors that played a role. One was the Republican party's extreme turn to the right on social issues; this alienated many moderates and young women. Also, 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. The president's "ground game" of identifying likely voters and getting them to the polls worked far more effectively than Mr. Romney's did.

So, despite a sluggish economy, Mr. Obama was able to persuade a majority of Americans that he had made progress, and that he would continue to move the country in a positive direction. The 2012 election was much closer than 2008, but Mr. Obama won both the popular vote and the electoral college; as I said, it was a shock and a great disappointment to Mr. Romney and his team, because they fully expected they would win.