Americans voted to re-elect incumbent president Barack Obama on Tuesday in one of the closest contests in U.S. history. President Obama saw off the challenge of Republican opponent Mitt Romney, who asked the nation to pray for Mr Obama in his goal to re-ignite the American economy. It was a nailbiting finish to what was a long, exhausting, bitter and expensive election campaign. Pre-election polls and TV stations said either man could have won the presidency. It all depended on several swing states, the winner of which would secure the 270 electoral votes needed to guarantee victory. Once the state of Ohio went to the Democrats, Obama knew he had another four years in the White House.

Many Americans felt relief that the election has now been decided. They had to endure dozens of nightly advertisements in what was the most expensive campaign in history. Most voters complained that the ads were overly negative and simply attacked the other side rather than outlining policy promises. Despite the poor state of the American economy, voters once again put their faith in Mr Obama. Many believe Obama won against all the odds. Thomas L Friedman of the New York Times wrote: "No one can know for sure what complex emotional chemistry tipped this election Obama's way…It came down to a majority of Americans believing that…Obama was trying his hardest to fix what ails the country."