President Barack Obama defeats Romney to win re-election

President Barack Obama has been re-elected
to a second term, defeating Republican
challenger Mitt Romney.
With results in from most states, America's first
black president has secured the 270 votes in the
electoral college needed to win the race.
Mr Obama prevailed despite lingering
dissatisfaction with the economy and a well-funded
challenge by Mr Romney.
He won by a comfortable margin, even while the
swing state of Florida remains too close to call.
Mr Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts,
called the president to concede the race.
With Florida's 29 electoral votes still undecided, Mr
Obama won 303 electoral votes to Mr Romney's
206.
In Boston, where his campaign was headquartered,
Mr Romney congratulated the president in an
emotional concession speech.
He said he and vice-presidential candidate Paul
Ryan had "left everything on the field" and had
given their all in the campaign.
"This election is over, but our principles endure," he
said. "I so wish that I had been able to fulfil your
hopes to lead the country in a different direction."
Under the US constitution, each state is given a
number of electoral votes in rough proportion to its
population. The candidate who wins 270 electoral
votes - by prevailing in the mostly winner-takes-all
state contests - becomes president.
The popular vote, which is symbolically and
politically important but not decisive in the race,
remains too close to call.
On Tuesday, the president held the White House by
assembling solid Democratic states and a number
of important swing states such as Colorado, Iowa,
Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, Virginia and
Wisconsin. His narrow victory in Ohio, a critical Mid-
Western swing state, sealed the victory.
Billions spent
Mr Romney won North Carolina and Indiana, both of
which Mr Obama won in 2008, as well as the solid
Republican states.
But he was unable to win in Ohio or other states
needed to breach the 270 threshold.
Also on Tuesday's ballot were 11 state
governorships, a third of the seats in the 100-
member US Senate and all 435 seats in the House
of Representatives.
Republicans are projected to keep control of the
House, while Democrats are tipped to remain in
control in the Senate.
Mr Obama's re-election victory came despite
lingering high employment - 7.9% on election day -
and tepid economic growth.
But voters gave him credit for his 2009 rescue of
the US car industry, among other policy
accomplishments, and rewarded him for ordering
the commando mission that killed Osama Bin Laden
in Pakistan last year.
He and Mr Romney, as well as their respective
allies, have spent more than $2bn (£1.25bn) -
largely on adverts in swing states.
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