Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign officially began on June 2, 2011, marking his second bid for the presidency after being the runner-up for the nomination in the 2008 cycle. He formally announced his candidacy for the Republican Party nomination at an event in Stratham, New Hampshire, having previously filed his organization with the Federal Election Commission as an exploratory committee on April 11, 2011. His campaign focused heavily on the U.S.
economy, with Romney pledging to make America number one in job creation. The path to securing the nomination was a competitive one, involving numerous debates and contests against a field of prominent Republican figures.
Early Stages and the Search for an 'Anti-Romney' Candidate
The early stages of the primary campaign saw several candidates with considerable name recognition enter the race, including Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, and Newt Gingrich. The first debate took place on May 5, 2011, in Greenville, South Carolina, featuring Herman Cain, Gary Johnson, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, and Rick Santorum. A month later, another debate included Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, and Michele Bachmann. A total of thirteen debates were held before the Iowa caucuses, indicating the competitive nature of the field.
An important early event was the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa on August 13, 2011, which Michele Bachmann won. Following a poor showing in this poll, Tim Pawlenty withdrew from the race. Around this time, it became apparent that while Romney was seen as the likely nominee by the Republican establishment, a significant portion of the conservative primary electorate viewed him as too moderate. This led to the emergence of several potential "anti-Romney" candidates, including Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, Chris Christie, and Rick Perry. Perry, who decided to run in August 2011, performed poorly in debates, and Herman Cain and then Newt Gingrich gained prominence in October and November.
Key Primary Contests and Shifting Dynamics
Due to various scandals, Herman Cain withdrew from the race before the end of 2011. Gary Johnson also withdrew to seek the Libertarian Party nomination. The 2012 Republican primaries were notable for the first time in modern Republican Party history that three different candidates won the first three state contests in January: Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. Although Romney was expected to win in Iowa and New Hampshire, Rick Santorum narrowly won the non-binding poll at caucus sites in Iowa. Newt Gingrich secured a surprisingly large victory in South Carolina, while Romney only won in New Hampshire.
Following these initial contests, several candidates dropped out. Michele Bachmann withdrew after finishing sixth in Iowa, Jon Huntsman after coming in third in New Hampshire, and Rick Perry when polls showed him with low numbers in South Carolina. Rick Santorum, who had initially run a campaign focused primarily on Iowa, was able to organize a national campaign after his unexpected victory there. He carried three states in a row on February 7 and briefly overtook Romney in nationwide opinion polls, becoming the only candidate to effectively challenge Romney's perceived inevitability. However, Romney won all other contests between South Carolina and the Super Tuesday primaries, regaining his first-place status in nationwide opinion polls by the end of February.
Super Tuesday and Securing the Nomination
Super Tuesday, held on March 6, was a significant turning point. Romney carried six states, Santorum carried three, and Gingrich won only his home state of Georgia. Throughout the rest of March, Romney continued to build his delegate count, securing more than half of the delegates allocated in that month. Santorum won Kansas and three Southern primaries but was unable to make substantial gains on Romney, who became a formidable frontrunner.
On April 10, Rick Santorum suspended his campaign, citing a low delegate count, unfavorable polls in his home state of Pennsylvania, and his daughter's health. This left Mitt Romney as the undisputed front-runner. Newt Gingrich, after disappointing results in the April 24 primaries, dropped out on May 2, effectively ending the contest for the nomination. The Republican National Committee declared Romney the party's presumptive nominee. Although Ron Paul officially remained in the race, he stopped campaigning on May 14 to focus on state conventions.
Romney officially became the party's presumptive nominee with his victory in the Texas primary on May 29, 2012, which provided him with a sufficient number of delegates, including unpledged delegates, to clinch the nomination. After winning the June 5 primaries in California and several other states, Romney had accumulated more than enough pledged delegates to secure the nomination without even counting unpledged delegates. The June 26 Utah Primary, the last contest of the cycle, became purely symbolic. CNN's final delegate estimate on July 27, 2012, showed Romney with 1,462 pledged delegates and 62 unpledged delegates, totaling 1,524 delegates. On August 28, 2012, delegates at the Republican National Convention officially named Romney the party's presidential nominee, which he formally accepted on August 30, 2012.
