ABJ - June 18 - A group of 12 states, including many of the 13 original colonies, are the battleground states that will decide the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election.

According to Real Clear Politics, 12 states, namely Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin, will be the deciding factor in the re-election of U.S. President Barack Obama or Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

In 2008, all but two (Arizona and Missouri) of the 12 states voted for Obama when he ran against Republican nominee and Arizona Senator John McCain. In the previous election, in 2004, nine of the 12 states voted Republican, leaving Michigan, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin to vote for the Democrats’ John Kerry.

Currently, polls show Romney with leads in Arizona, Florida, Missouri, and North Carolina, with Obama leading in the remainder. It is also believed that Obama holds leads in Maine, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, while Romney holds the lead in Georgia, Indiana, Montana, and South Carolina.

The winner must obtain 270 Electoral College votes to become President of the United States. In 2008, Obama scored 365 votes to McCain’s 173. In 2004, former U.S. President George W. Bush scored 286 Electoral College votes to Kerry’s 252.