Skip to main content
Open this photo in gallery:

U.S. President Barack Obama waves to supporters during at his re-election victory rally in Chicago.Jim Bourg/Reuters

1 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

U.S. President Barack Obama, who won a second term in office by defeating Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, walks out with his family to address supporters during his election night rally in Chicago.Jeff Haynes

2 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

U.S. President Barack Obama smiles during his election night victory speech in Chicago.Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

3 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden celebrate their re-election, in Chicago.Larry Downing/Reuters

4 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama embrace Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden moments after the television networks called the election in their favor, while watching election returns at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park in Chicago, Ill.Pete Souza

5 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, left, and his vice-presidential running mate Paul Ryan hug as their wives wife Ann Romney and Janna Ryan, right, also embrace after Mr. Romney delivered his concession speech in Boston.Mike Segar/Reuters

6 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney delivers his concession speech during his election night rally in Boston, Massachusetts.Mike Segar

7 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney walks onto stage to give his concession speech after losing the election to U.S. President Barack Obama, during his election night rally in Boston, Massachusetts.Shannon Stapleton

8 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

President Barack Obama's Twitter account with the tweet "Four more years."

9 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

People celebrate in Times Square after Barack Obama was projected to win the U.S presidential election in New York.Carlo Allegri

10 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

Keesha Patterson of Ft. Washington, Maryland (bottom) proposes marriage to her girlfriend Rowan Ha (C) during the election night victory rally at re-elected President Barack Obama headquarters in Chicago.Kevin Lamarque

11 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

Supporters of U.S. President Barack Obama cheer during his election night victory rally in Chicago.Kevin Lamarque

12 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

People celebrate as they watch election results broadcast confirming the re-election of President Barack Obama at Melba's 25 at the Harlem State Office building in New York.Andrew Kelly

13 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

Villagers at an all-night party to watch the U.S. presidential election celebrate after a television station called the result in favor of President Barack Obama, in the village of Kogelo, home to Sarah Obama the step-grandmother of President Barack Obama, in western Kenya.Ben Curtis

14 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

Ryan Charchian, 18, of New York, hugs Allie Rapa, 19, of New York after news reports projected President Barack Obama to win a second term as they celebrated in New York.Craig Ruttle

15 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

Supporters watch voting returns at the election night rally for U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in Boston, Massachusetts.Rick Wilking

16 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

Supporters of President Barack Obama watch as elections results trickle in at a campaign office in Wooster, Ohio.Kevin Van Paassen

17 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

Supporters of U.S. President Barack Obama cheer during his election night rally in Chicago.Larry Downing

18 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

A supporter cheers at the election night party for President Barack Obama in Chicago. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)Chris Carlson

19 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

Supporters of U.S. President Barack Obama cheer during his election night rally in Chicago, November 6, 2012. REUTERSKevin Lamarque/Reuters

20 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

A Romney supporter rubs his head as voting returns are announced at the election night rally for U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in Boston, Massachusetts.Rick Wilking

21 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

U.S. President Barack Obama supporters cheer while watching the returns prior to his election night rally in Chicago.John Gress

22 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

A supporter watches the election results at the election night party for President Barack Obama.Charles Rex Arbogast

23 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

Supporters watch voting returns at the election night rally for U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in Boston, Massachusetts.Jessica Rinaldi

24 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

Martha Nunez, 53, of the Bronx, reacts to positive predictions for President Barack Obama as crowds watch election results in Times Square, in New York.John Minchillo

25 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

People watch early election results displayed on a utility lift suspended from the front of the GE Building at Rockefeller Center New York.Craig Ruttle

26 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

A general view of the Empire State Building and the skyline of Middle Manhattan from Hoboken, New Jersey. The Empire State Building is lit in blue and red to display the presidential race's projected tally of the states' 270 electoral votes on a vertical, LED-lit screen. The blue lights represent vote tallies for U.S. President Barack Obama and red for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.Eduardo Munoz

27 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

San Francisco Department of Elections workers carry a box of voted ballots from the mail at City Hall in San Francisco.Jeff Chiu

28 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

Poll worker Ed Williams carries voting place signs after the polls closed at the Covenant Presbyterian Church during the U.S. presidential election in Charlotte, North Carolina.Chris Keane

29 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

A large media group awaits U.S. President Barack Obama before his election night rally in Chicago.Larry Downing

30 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

Hotel employee Denzil Telphia, of Boston steams the wrinkles from an American flag hanging as a backdrop at Elizabeth Warren's election night party in Boston, Massachusetts.Gretchen Ertl/Reuters

31 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

Guests look at their mobile phones as they wait for the first exit poll predictions whilst they attend the Presidential Election party at the United States Embassy in LondonAlastair Grant/The Associated Press

32 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

A supporter takes pictures of the stage at the election night rally for U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in Boston, Massachusetts.MIKE SEGAR/Reuters

33 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

Residents look at the National Guard drive through the Rockaway Beach neighborhood as they stand near a fire listening to the radio for news of the U.S. presidential election, while still missing access to power in New York's Queens borough. The aftermath of Superstorm Sandy created chaos and long lines at voting stations in the U.S. Northeast on Tuesday while officials braced for a new storm due to batter the region on Wednesday.LUCAS JACKSON/Reuters

34 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

A worker vacuums the stage by the podium ahead of the start of U.S. President Barack Obama's election night rally in Chicago. REUTERS/Jeff HaynesJeff Haynes

35 of 36
Open this photo in gallery:

A man enters the Castle Rock Town Hall to vote during the U.S. presidential election about two hours before the polls close near Farmington, Minnesota.Eric Miller

36 of 36

Interact with The Globe