As the incumbent president,
Barack Obama faced token opposition in the primary election. President Obama cemented his status as the Democratic
presumptive nominee on April 3, 2012 by securing the minimum number of pledged delegates needed to clinch the nomination,[1][2] thus making the Pennsylvania Democratic presidential primaries a non-factor in the nomination.
Although Texas Congressman
Ron Paul, former Speaker of the House
Newt Gingrich, former Pennsylvania Senator
Rick Santorum, and former Massachusetts Governor
Mitt Romney all appeared on the ballot, Romney had all but secured the Republican nomination by the time of the Pennsylvania primaries.[3] Though Romney had not yet clinched the minimum number of delegates needed to secure the nomination, Gingrich, Santorum, and Paul were too far behind in the delegates count to mount a serious comeback, and had subsequently stopped actively campaigning.[4]