Elections were held in the United States throughout 2012. These included many elections which occured on November 6, 2012, most prominently the 57th quadrennial presidential election, Senate election (where 33 seats were decided), House of Representatives election (to elect members of the 113th Congress) and 13 state and territorial governors’ races; it also featured many state and territorial legislature races, special elections, and various other state, territorial, and local races and referenda throughout the year. A referendum was also held in Puerto Rico regarding the future political status of the U.S. unincorporated territory.
The presidential election was won by incumbent President Barack Obama, while the Senate was held by the Democratic Party and the House of Representatives was held by the Republican Party, leading to a continuance of a divided Congress. The Republican Party also held on to a majority of governorships. Notably the election resulted in the first openly LGBT member of the Senate. State referenda included legalizing same-sex marriage, approving and rejecting the use of medical and recreational marijuana and rejections of Obamacare. The national media also said of the election, that it showed a “divided” country as a result of the close popular vote. The projected cost of the 2012 federal election races is estimated to be over 5.8 billion dollars.
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national states. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often called a “Senate”. In some countries, the House of Representatives is the sole chamber of a unicameral legislature.
