1977 Virginia gubernatorial election
In the 1977 Virginia gubernatorial election, incumbent Governor Mills E. Godwin, Jr., a Republican, was unable to seek re-election due to term limits. John N. Dalton, the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, was nominated by the Republican Party to run against the Democratic nominee, former Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Henry Howell.[2]
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| Turnout | 62.7% (voting eligible)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
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 County and independent city results Dalton: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Howell: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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This was the only instance in Virginia's history in which the Republican Party won the gubernatorial election for a third time consecutively.
As of 2023[update], this was the most recent Virginia gubernatorial election in which a Republican won Richmond, Arlington County and the city of Falls Church, as well as the most recent one in which both major party candidates are now deceased.[original research?]
Primaries
editDemocratic
edit- Henry Howell, former Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and candidate in 1969 and 1973
- Andrew P. Miller, Attorney General of Virginia
Henry Howell, who was elected lieutenant governor in 1971 and unsuccessful ran for governor in 1973, was an opponent of the Byrd machine and one of the most liberal politicians in Virginia at the time.[3] Attorney General Andrew P. Miller was the highest elected Democratic official in the state. Miller's father, Francis Pickens Miller, ran as an anti-Byrd candidate in the 1949 gubernatorial election.[4]
14.4% of the voting age population participated in the Democratic primary.[5]
Republican
editGovernor Mills Godwin, a former Democrat, was supported by the Byrd machine, but John N. Dalton was a lifelong Republican and his father, Theodore Roosevelt Dalton, ran as the Republican nominee against a Byrd-backed Democrat in the 1953 gubernatorial election.[4]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John N. Dalton | 699,302 | 55.90% | +5.19% | |
| Democratic | Henry Howell | 541,319 | 43.27% | −5.99% | |
| Independent | Alan Ogden | 10,101 | 0.81% | ||
| Write-ins | 218 | 0.02% | |||
| Majority | 157,983 | 12.63% | +11.18% | ||
| Turnout | 1,250,940 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
References
edit- ^ Virginia Department of Elections (2016). "Registration/Turnout Statistics". The Commonwealth of Virginia. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 24, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Steed, Moreland & Baker 1980, p. 83.
- ^ a b Steed, Moreland & Baker 1980, p. 85.
- ^ Steed, Moreland & Baker 1980, p. 84.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - VA Governor Race - Nov 08, 1977".
Works cited
edit- Steed, Robert; Moreland, Laurence; Baker, Tod, eds. (1980). Party Politics in the South. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0030565863.
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