On November 6, 2012, President Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney to take the White House for a second term.
Even though President Obama did win, most states were won by small margins. In Florida, President Obama beat out Governor Romney by only.9 percent (50 to 49.1). The factor that pushed Obama over 270 electoral votes was that Obama won all of the swing states, which included Virginia, Florida, Ohio and New Hampshire.
One of the strange things that occurred on Election Day was that Governor Romney did not have a concession speech at the ready if he did indeed lose. This showed that he was confidently planning to win this year’s election. Another indicator was the accidental publication of Romney’s transition website created by campaign staffers.
The Election Day results did not change many things within the government. The House of Representatives is still controlled by the Republicans. The Senate is held by the Democratic majority and, with Obama’s win, the executive branch is once again held by the Democrats. This outcome indicates that the citizens of this country chose to keep things the same instead of starting anew.
Now that the election is over, government officials and citizens alike are still concerned with America’s number one topic: the economy. With The House being dominantly Republican while the Senate is mostly Democratic, the elected officials have had major issues when it comes to improving our economic situation. Both sides have been unwilling to compromise. Hopefully within the next four years the two parties can side to do what is best for our country as a whole.
In other Election Day news, Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin became the first female Senator to win in Wisconsin but also the first openly gay Senator. She defeated Tommy Thompson to win the seat within the Senate.
Other major topics that were voted on in this election were whether or not to legalize gay marriage and legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Maine, Maryland and Washington State voted yes for gay marriage, while only Minnesota had the popular vote for no. Colorado and Washington were the two states that voted to legalize using marijuana for recreational use. The states may have voted yes, but they will have a long, hard fight with the federal government to enact the decision.
Finally, Puerto Rico voted to seek statehood within the United States. Since 1917, Puerto Rico has been a territory of the United States, but has never successfully sought statehood. If approval is granted by Congress, The United States of America will have 51 states in the Union.
