Romney defeated in two key states with close personal ties

Mitt Romney failed to win both the state of his birth, Michigan, and the state where he lives and served as governor, Massachusetts.

US President Barack Obama defeated Romney in both Michigan and Massachusetts, which had 16 and 11 Electoral College votes, respectively.

Apart from Michigan, Obama also won the states of Colorado, Nevada, California, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Maine, Rhode Island, Hawaii and the District of Columbia, according to the CNN projections.

Romney won North Carolina, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, West Virginia, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Utah, Missouri and Georgia.

Under the Electoral College system, each state is worth a certain number of electoral votes based on population.

Obama, a Democrat, secured 303 electoral votes against 206 of Romney in a college of 535 votes plus three of District of Columbia. A candidate has to get at least 270 votes to become US President.

Counting in Florida, which has 29 votes, has been suspended till tomorrow, with Obama having a slight edge over his Republican rival.