Minority Demographics helped Obama win the 2012 Presidential Election

Many Americans watched the poll numbers fluctuate on their TV as they sat on the edge of their seats on November 6, 2012. The wait finally came to an end. The anxiety and anxiousness of Americans ended when it was announced that President Obama had won the 2012 Presidential Election once again. Some people sat in front of their TV outraged, confused, and discouraged. Obama won the Presidential Election by 3,355,090 votes. His victory was largely attributed to his reaching out to minority groups and supporting women’s rights.

According to the census of 2011, Latinos made up 16.8 percent of the U.S population. In 2008, 18,067 Latinos were registered voters. This number increased to 120,547 by the 2012 Presidential Election. As a result,10 percent of voters in the 2012 Presidential Election were Latino. According to The New York Times exit polls, 71 percent of registered Latino voters said that they voted for Obama. His success in the Latino community may not have been the same had he not passed the modified DREAM Act, which allows illegal immigrant students in the U.S. to remain in the states with certain requirements, without going through the normal process of acquiring citizenship.

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Another huge minority supporter of Obama were African-Americans. African-Americans made up 13.1 percent of the population, according to the census of 2011. 13 percent of voters in the 2012 Presidential Election were African-American. 93 percent indicated that they voted for Obama. A significant number of African-American voters supported Obama, more than they had for past democrats in previous Presidential Elections. African-American voters may have supported Obama in large numbers because of Obama’s skin color, and not necessarily because of his character and policies.

According to Gallup’s polls from October 8 – 28, 52 percent of female voters said that they intended to vote for Obama.Obama’s huge support to Planned Parenthood, an organization that offers many services that cater to women such as abortions, breast cancer screenings, and birth control, may have contributed to his winning of so many women’s votes. Romney, however, stated on several occasions that he would stop the funding of Planned Parenthood with taxpayer dollars and said that he would not force employers to offer birth control coverage; this may not have sat well with majority of women voters. Another factor in Obama's increase of women voters may have been due to his signing of the  Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which is an act that strives for equality for women in the workplace. Obama's success with his ability to appeal to women voters was another major component in winning the election.

As the demographics of America change, the directions of American politics change as well. Without the support of these minorities and a significant amount of women’s votes, Obama may not have been as successful. The Republican Party will need to come up with a new strategy that caters to the new face of America, in order to get the majority of votes and win another Presidential Election.

Sources:

"Gender Gap in 2012 Election Aided Obama Win." Huffington Post. N.p., 7 Nov. 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/07/gender-gap-2012-election-obama_n_2086004.html>.

Miranda, Luis. "Get The Facts On The DREAM Act." The White House. N.p., 1 Dec. 2010. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/12/01/get-facts-dream-act>.

Morris, Dick. "Dick Morris: Why I Was Wrong About the 2012 Election." Fox News. N.p., 7 Nov. 2012. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. <nation.foxnews.com/2012-presidential-race/2012/11/07/dick-morris-why-i-was-wrong-about-2012-election>.

"President Exit Polls - Election 2012 ." The New York Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. <http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/results/president/exit-polls>.

"President Results - Election 2012 ." The New York Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/results/president/big-board>.

Slack, Megan. "From the Archives: President Obama Signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act ." The White House. N.p., 30 Jan. 2012. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/30/archives-president-obama-signs-lilly-ledbetter-fair-pay-act>.

St. George, Donna . "Latino voter registration up in Las Vegas." Washington Post. N.p., 5 Nov. 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2012/11/05/latino-voter-registration-up-in-las-vegas/>.

"State & County QuickFacts." United States Census Bureau . N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. <http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html>.

"U.S. Presidential Election Center." Gallup. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2012. <http://www.gallup.com/poll/154559/us-presidential-election-center.aspx>.