Running in the primary election against several Northern Democrats, Solomon was seen as ignorant, backward and foolish and lagged behind in early primary polls. Republicans took advantage of the situation early and generalized Solomon with the Democrats of the 1960's and early 1970's. Winning New York and the South, Solomon acquired the Democratic ticket against the Republican incumbent Mitt Romney. In November, Solomon won the election with 61.21% of the vote, with most coming from the South.