Romney and Ryan won Mississippi with 55.29% of the popular vote to Obama and Biden's 43.79%, thus winning the state's six electoral votes by an 11.50% margin.[1] Mississippi was one of just six states where Obama improved on his 2008 performance. According to exit polls, the black vote share in Mississippi increased from 33% in 2008 to 36% in 2012, likely explaining Obama's gains.[2] This was the strongest showing for a Democratic presidential candidate in Mississippi since native Southerner Bill Clinton's 44.08% in 1996. Obama carried Warren County, becoming the first Democrat to do so since John F. Kennedy in 1960.[3] He also managed to flip Benton County and improved his margins in Democratic counties throughout the state. As of the 2020 presidential election, this was the last time a Democratic presidential candidate has carried Benton, Chickasaw, and Panola counties. Obama's 562,949 votes is the highest total received by a Democratic presidential candidate in the state's history.