The primary contests took place from January 3 to July 14 and elected and allocated 2,286 voting delegates to the 2012 Republican National Convention in the week of August 27 . To become the Republican Party 's nominee for the 2012 presidential election a candidate needed a majority of 1,144 delegates to vote for him and plurality in five state delegations . The 2012 race was significantly different from earlier races . Many states switched from their old winner-take-all allocation to proportional allocation . Many remaining winner-take-all states allocated delegates to both the winner of each congressional district and the winner of the state . The change was made to prolong the race , giving lesser known candidates a chance and making it harder for a frontrunner to secure the majority early . It was also hoped that this change in the election system would energize the base of the party
2012 Republican National Convention
2012 Republican National Convention
2012 Republican Party presidential primaries