2012 Presidential Election
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Which candidate should be US president in 2012?
2012 Presidential Election
ProCon.org has researched the US presidential candidates and their views on 75 issues including abortion, bailouts, education, medical marijuana, and taxes. Read our simple, nonpartisan, pro-con presentations and decide for yourself: "Which candidate should be US president in 2012?"

ARCHIVED WEBSITE: No new data posted since Jan. 22, 2013. The 2012 Election website received 1,786,030 sessions between Oct. 24, 2011, when the site first launched, through Election Day on Nov. 6, 2012. We kept it active until Jan. 22, 2013, the day after Barack Obama was inaugurated for his second term as President of the United States. The site is now archived - meaning we will no longer make any updates to it. The site will remain accessible on the homepage of ProCon.org. Thanks to all our readers, staff, and volunteers who made the project such a success.

2012 Presidential Election Results

Summary Chart
Quiz: Find Your Match


2012 Presidential Candidates - Bios and Views
Democrat
Republican
3rd Party / Independent

Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney

Paul Ryan

Paul Ryan

Virgil Goode

Virgil Goode

Gary Johnson

Gary Johnson

Joe Biden

Joe Biden

Jill Stein

Jill Stein

FORMER
CANDIDATES:

(alpha order)

Bachmann (R)

Cain (R)

Gingrich (R)

Huntsman (R)

Paul (R)

Perry (R)

Roemer (Ind)

Santorum (R)

Pros & Cons by Category
Abortion
  1. Legal option
  2. Parental consent

Alcohol
  3. Lowering legal drinking age

China
  4. Threat to US?

Credit Cards
  5. Credit cards

Criminal Justice
  6. Felon voting
  7. Nonviolent drug users
  8. Racial profiling

Cuba
  9. Embargo against Cuba

Death Penalty
  10. Legal option

Economy
  11. Bailouts for financial corporations
  12. Bailouts for GM and Chrysler
  13. Debt limit
  14. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
  15. Federal Deficit
  16. Gold standard
  17. Labor unions
  18. NAFTA
  19. Oil company subsidies
  20. Outsourcing jobs

Education
  21. Abstinence only
  22. Federal aid for higher education
  23. No Child Left Behind
  24. School vouchers
  25. Standardized tests
  26. Teacher tenure

Election Reform
  27. Citizens United
  28. Photo ID for voting

Energy
  29. Alternative energy subsidies
  30. Keystone XL pipeline
  31. New nuclear plants
  32. Oil drilling and gas prices

Environment
  33. ANWR drilling
  34. Global climate change
  35. Clean Air Act and CO2 regulation

Euthanasia & Physician-assisted Suicide
  36. Legal option

GMO Food
  37. Mandatory labeling

Gun Control
  38. Concealed handguns
  39. Federal regulations

Health Care
  40. Federal reforms
  41. Health insurance mandate
  42. Medicare vouchers
  43. Right to health care

Immigration
  44. Access to social services
  45. E-verify system
  46. Federal vs. state/local enforcement
  47. Fence/wall along US-Mexico border
  48. Military troops on US-Mexico border
  49. Net impact on economy

Iran
  50. Military force against Iran

Iraq War
  51. Is America safer?
  52. US attack

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
  53. Palestinian statehood

Marriage
  54. Gay marriage
  55. Infidelity and politicians

Medical Marijuana
  56. Federal raids
  57. Legalization

Military
  58. Drone Strikes
  59. Military budget
  60. National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)

National Service
  61. Draft and national service

Occupy Wall Street
  62. Occupy Wall Street

Public Broadcasting
  63. Govt. funding for PBS & NPR

Religion
  64. Teaching creationism in schools
  65. Churches and Taxes

Social Security
  66. Privatizing

Stem Cells
  67. Federal research funding

Syria
  68. Military intervention in Syria

Taxes
  69. Lower taxes = more jobs?
  70. Tax increase
  71. Taxing the wealthy

Tea Party
  72. Tea Party

US Constitution
  73. Alteration

War on Terror
  74. Waterboarding

World Trade Center
  75. "Ground Zero Mosque"

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Archived Notices (archived after 30 days)


Last updated on 5/8/2013 3:34:57 PM PST


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