President Obama has been re-elected to a second term with a resounding victory over Republican challenger Mitt Romney. Obama ended the night with at least 303 electoral votes, sweeping the critical battleground states of Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Colorado. Obama’s tally is expected to rise after results are certified in Florida, where he currently leads Romney by over 46,000 votes. In a victory speech from Chicago, Obama said he returns to the White House with renewed purpose.

President Obama: “I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead. You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together: reducing our deficit, reforming our tax code, fixing our immigration system, freeing ourselves from foreign oil. We’ve got more work to do.”

Mitt Romney won the traditional Republican states but ended up with only one swing state victory, taking North Carolina. After reports that his campaign was questioning the results in Ohio, Romney finally emerged shortly before 1 a.m. EST to announce he had conceded the race.

Mitt Romney: “I have just called President Obama to congratulate him on his victory. His supporters and his campaign also deserve congratulations. I wish all of them well, but particularly the president, the first lady and their daughters. This is a time of great challenges for America, and I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation.”