UPDATE-4: Obama wins Ohio, re-elected as president; Republicans maintain House majority

Despite an unemployment rate hovering around 8 percent, a scandal surrounding the death of a U.S. ambassador in Libya and a growing federal debt, President Obama won re-election Tuesday, fending off a challenge from former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Fox News reported.

According to Fox News, Obama picked up roughly 50 percent of the vote in the Buckeye State, but won by less than 50,000 votes. By about 11:50 p.m., Romney maintained a small lead in the popular vote nationally, but Obama had already picked up the more than 270 electoral votes needed to retake the White House.

“We’re all in this together. That’s how we campaigned, and that’s who we are. Thank you,” Obama said in a tweet.

Following strong showings in debates, support for Romney surged in recent weeks. Polls suggested he might win a number of key swing states, including Ohio, New Hampshire and Florida.

However, Ohio and New Hampshire went for Obama while Florida remained too close to call as of 11:50 p.m. Obama also picked up a number of swing states, including Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan.

On Fox News, political pundit Juan Williams suggested voters still blame former President George W. Bush for the economy, a sentiment that might have helped propel Obama to victory. Moments later, Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer suggested the victory was at best a weak mandate for a second Obama term.

Meanwhile, Democrats maintained their control of the U.S. Senate while Republicans will continue their majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.