Prior to the election, 17 news organizations[which?] considered this a state Romney would win, or otherwise considered as a safe red state. Mitt Romney handily won the state with 58.32% of the vote to Barack Obama's 38.69%, a 19.63% margin of victory. He flipped seven counties that were carried by Obama in 2008, including Cass County, home to Fargo, the state's largest city.