President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were re-elected last night, winning in traditionally democratic states and key battle-ground states. Obama and Biden appealed mainly to women, minorities, and young voters, who played a major role in the President’s re-election.
The tension grew as Romney won North Carolina, and President Obama and Former Governor Romney led a tight race until Ohio’s votes were counted. Ohio’s electoral votes pushed Obama to 274 electoral votes, four votes more than needed to be re-elected.
President Obama later won swing-state Virginia, and Obama ended with an electoral vote count of 303 to Mitt Romney’s 206. Although President Obama easily won the electoral vote, he barely won the popular vote over Mitt Romney, edging his opponent by just over 2 million votes, of the nearly 116 million cast.
Although not traditionally a swing-state, the Grand Old Party hoped to claim Pennsylvania’s electoral votes for Mitt Romney, but lost 54 percent of the vote to Obama.
Pennsylvania’s Democratic Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz was also re-elected. Schwartz represents the 13th congressional district of Pennsylvania. When asked about the Republican Party’s hope to win Pennsylvania, Allyson Schwartz responded “It was never Mitt Romney’s to take.”
Obama’s supporters danced and cheered in Chicago as he thanked them for their support. But despite the joyful faces in the windy city, Obama’s second term will not be an easy one. Barely winning the popular vote means facing a split nation, and in America’s case, one fraught with core economic problems and social conflict.