1981 Virginia gubernatorial election

In the 1981 Virginia gubernatorial election, Republican incumbent Governor John N. Dalton was unable to seek re-election due to term limits. Chuck Robb, the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, was nominated by the Democratic Party to run against the Republican nominee, state Attorney General J. Marshall Coleman.

1981 Virginia gubernatorial election

← 1977 November 3, 1981 1985 →
Turnout64.8% (voting eligible)[1]
 
Nominee Chuck Robb Marshall Coleman
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 760,357 659,398
Percentage 53.5% 46.4%

County and independent city results
Robb:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Coleman:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

Governor before election

John N. Dalton
Republican

Elected Governor

Chuck Robb
Democratic

Robb's victory ended 12 consecutive years of Republican control of the Governor's Mansion.

Fairfax County voted Democratic for Governor for the first time since 1949.

General election

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Candidates

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Results

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Virginia gubernatorial election, 1981[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Charles S. Robb 760,357 53.56% +10.32%
Republican J. Marshall Coleman 659,398 46.44% −9.41%
Majority 100,959 7.11% −5.51%
Turnout 1,419,755
Democratic gain from Republican Swing

References

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  1. ^ Virginia Department of Elections (2016). "Registration/Turnout Statistics". The Commonwealth of Virginia. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  2. ^ http://www.coopercenter.org/sites/default/files/autoVANLPubs/Virginia%20News%20Letter%201982%20Vol.%2058%20No.%206.pdf [dead link]