BBC News Agency reports that US President Barack Obama has been re-elected to a second term, defeating Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
The president’s win in the crucial battleground of Ohio, coupled with subsequent victories in both Iowa and Oregon, put him over the required 270 electoral votes.
Obama scored a big win in Pennsylvania, a vital battleground where Romney made a late play for support. Obama also walked away with a win in the swing states of New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Michigan.
Romney was the projected winner in Utah, Montana, Arizona, Missouri, Idaho, Texas, Louisiana, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Arkansas, West Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Indiana and Kentucky.
Obama was the winner in his home state of Illinois as well as in California, Hawaii, Washington, Minnesota, New Mexico, Maine, New York, Delaware, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont and the District of Columbia.
As reported, Obama argued all along that, despite the slack in the system, the country was moving in the right direction. He pointed to recent economic reports, including Labor Department data showing the jobless rate falling below 8 percent for the first time since he took office, as signs that the economy was improving and would get better over time.
Several swing states, including Florida and Virginia, have yet to report results, but it won’t change anything.
