Obama wins Calif., Romney projected to take North Carolina November 6, 2012, 8:07 p.m. Mitt Romney defeated President Obama in North Carolina on Tuesday night, according to Associated Press and TV network projections, giving the Republican challenger 15 electoral votes in a state that Obama carried four years ago but had leaned Republican in some polls. President Obama secured California's 55 electoral votes Tuesday, according to Associated Press and TV network projections, a result that surprised neither side in a hard-fought national campaign that largely bypassed the most populous state but for fund-raising swings.