1977 Virginia gubernatorial election

Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Virginia

For related races, see 1977 United States gubernatorial elections.

1977 Virginia gubernatorial election

* * *

| <- 1973 | November 8, 1977 | 1981 ->

|
|

Turnout| 62.7% (voting eligible)[1]
|  |  |

|
|

Nominee  | John N. Dalton | Henry Howell |
Party  | Republican | Democratic
Popular vote  | 699,302 | 541,319
Percentage  | 55.9% | 43.3%

* * *

County and independent city results
Dalton: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%
Howell: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80%

* * *

| Governor before election

Mills E. Godwin, Jr.
Republican

| Elected Governor

John N. Dalton
Republican

|

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2016

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(List)

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* v
* t
* e

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]

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?]

## Candidates[edit]

* John N. Dalton, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (R)
* Henry Howell, former Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (D), who defeated Attorney General Andrew P. Miller.

## Results[edit]

Virginia gubernatorial election, 1977[3] Party  | Candidate  | Votes  | %  | ±%

|
|
|
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| 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]

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. ^ "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)
3. ^ "Our Campaigns - VA Governor Race - Nov 08, 1977".

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(1976 <-)  1977 United States elections (-> 1978)

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