President Barack Obama was elected Tuesday to a second term as president of the United States, defeating Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
"Tonight, in this election you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come," Obama said in his acceptance speech shortly after 1:30 a.m. this morning.
"Thank you for believing all the way," he said.
Several national news outlets began to call the race for Obama just after 11:15 p.m., when it appeared that Ohio and its electoral votes would provide an insurmountable lead.
During his concession speech just before 1 a.m., Romney said he called Obama to congratulate him on the victory.
"This is a time of great challenges for America and I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation," Romney told supporters in Boston.
In their speeches, Obama and Romney discussed the need to work with the other political party for positive change.
"I have listened to you, I have learned from you and you have made me a better president," Obama said during his speech. "And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead.
"Tonight, you voted for action, not politics as usual," he said.
Also Tuesday, Democrats retained a majority in the U.S. Senate and Republicans retained a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Obama lost Indiana and North Carolina, two states he won during his first run in 2008.
With 98 percent of Florida counties reporting as of this morning, Obama had a slim lead in the state with 49.85 percent of the vote, compared to Romney's 49.3 percent. Other party candidates accounted for the difference. More than 8 million Floridians cast their votes in the race.
Unofficial results in Duval County and with all precincts reporting show Romney winning the county with 51.3 percent, or 207,128 votes, compared to Obama's 47.3 percent, or 192,239 votes.
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How Florida voted
| Barack Obama | 4,142,925 | 50% |
| Mitt Romney | 4,095,897 | 49% |
How Duval County voted
| Barack Obama | 192,239 | 48% |
| Mitt Romney | 207,128 | 51% |
Note: represents votes counted as of press time.
Source: Florida Elections Office, Duval County Supervisor of Elections