Barack Obama Re-Elected President

President Obama defeated Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.

President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden were re-elected Tuesday night, defeating Republican challenger Mitt Romney and his vice-presidential running mate Rep. Paul Ryan. NBC News called the presidential election for Obama around 11:15 EST. The president sent a message on Twitter at 10:14 saying simply, "This happened because of you. Thank you." The Obama campaign won the most expensive presidential race ever, with both parties raising about $2.6 billion. The race was filled with negative campaigning on both sides, from President Obama attacking Romney’s business experience with Bain Capital to Romney lambasting Obama’s handling of the economy. The race tightened during the final months of the campaign, with gaffes and surges …

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Election 2012: Follow the Money Given to Obama and Romney in Your Town

Patch has a new interactive campaign contribution database that lets you see who's donating each candidate and how much.

Patch Is Collecting Questions for Obama and Romney During the Next Presidential Debate

If you have a question for the candidates, submit it in the comments section below and it could be asked during the televised Oct. 16 Town Hall Presidential Debate.

If last Wednesday’s presidential debate left you with more questions than answers, here’s your chance for the presidential candidates to address the issues that most matter to you. The next presidential debate will be a town hall meeting format at Hofstra University in Long Island, where voters will ask President Obama and Mitt Romney about domestic and foreign policy. Patch is asking you, our readers, to participate by submitting questions for the candidates. All you have to do is post your question in the comments section below and we’ll send it to the Commission on Presidential Debates. The Commission is partnering with Patch's parent company Aol, along with Google and Yahoo, to take questions from web users across the country. Don’t …

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Who Won the Presidential Debate? Patch Survey Takers Say Romney

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney met for their first debate. We surveyed influential Illinois politicians and guests at Patch watch parties, who say the president whiffed.

Illinois Republicans said Mitt Romney "hit a home run" in the Oct. 3 presidential debate and some Democrats said President Barack Obama "looked unprepared," even if they still agree with what he said.  Patch conducted a quick, unscientific poll among politically involved citizens following the debate and also surveyed residents at watch parties throughout the suburbs.  Of the 19 Republicans who responded to the online survey, 16 said Romney won by a wide margin and one said he defeated Obama by a slim margin. Two Republican respondents said Obama won the debate.  "I expected Obama to lecture Romney. I never expected Romney to lecture Obama," one Republican said. "Obama spent more time looking at his belly button like a little kid being …

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Politics at the Thanksgiving Table?

Does political talk go well with turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie? Or does it just make for a dyspeptic holiday?

With the Presidential election less than a year away and the Illinois Appellate Court extending Congressional filing dates, there's plenty to talk about. As you celebrate the Thanksgiving Day holiday this year, consider the following. The next time you do so, the 2012 presidential election campaign will have just ended. Just today Patch learned candidates for Congress will not be filing their petitions between Nov. 28 and Dec. 5. The period will now run from Dec. 23 through Dec. 27 because of the litigation over the proposed map according to a news release from the Illinois State Board of Elections. So for those inclined to campaign at the Thanksgiving table, 2011 is it. But is that a good idea? Stories of political arguments ruining …

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