U.S. Election 2012: Networks project Obama re-elected as U.S. president

President Barack Obama won re-election on Tuesday night despite a fierce challenge from Republican Mitt Romney as well as the weak economy and high unemployment that encumbered his first term and crimped the middle class dreams of millions.

The President sealed his victory in Ohio, Iowa, New Hampshire and Colorado, four of the nine battleground States where the two rivals and their allies spent nearly $1 billion on dueling television commercials.

“This happened because of you. Thank you,” Mr. Obama tweeted to supporters as he secured four more years in the White House.


Ultimately, the result of the brawl of an election campaign appeared likely to be the political status quo. Democrats won two more years of control of the Senate, and Republicans were on track to do likewise in the House.

Mr. Romney was in Massachusetts, his long and grueling bid for the presidency at an unsuccessful end.

The 51-year-old first African-American President was projected by television channel CNN as having won the second term with 274 electoral votes after exit polls gave him California in west coast which has 55 electoral votes.

It projected Mr. Romney has having secured 201 votes in an electoral college of 535 votes. The winner has to garner at least 270 votes.

Till California was called, Mr. Romney had a comfortable lead over the President with another crucial state Florida saw a tight race between the two with a slight edge for Obama. Florida has 29 electoral votes.

CNN projected that Pennsylvania with 20 electoral votes would go to Obama, while it predicted that Republicans will keep control of the US House of Representatives.

CNN also projected that the powerful U.S. Senate will still be controlled by the Democrats.

Moments after network predicted his victory, Mr. Obama went online to thank voters for giving him a second term.

“This happened because of you. Thank you. Four more years,” Mr. Obama tweeted on his official account.

As television networks projected that Obama was on the road to victory once again, his supporters flooded the campaign headquarters in Chicago, the hometown of the President. Celebrations erupted as Democrats raised slogans and reveled in victory.

Hundreds and thousands of supporters of Mr. Obama across the country from his home town Chicago to Times Square in New York erupted in celebrations.