1973 Virginia gubernatorial election

← 1969

November 6, 1973

1977 →


Nominee	Mills Godwin	Henry Howell
Party	Republican	Independent
Popular vote	525,075	510,103
Percentage	50.7%	49.3%

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

Governor before election

Linwood Holton
Republican

Elected Governor

Mills Godwin
Republican

Federal government

U.S. President
1788–89 1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 Dem 2004 2008 Dem GOP 2012 2016 Dem 2020 Dem 2024 Dem GOP
U.S. Senate
1788 1790 (sp) 1791 1792 (sp) 1793 1794 (sp) 1796 1798 1799 (sp) 1803 1803 (sp) 1804 1804 (sp) 1808 1809 1811 1814 1814 (sp) 1815 (sp) 1816 1816 (sp) 1819 (sp) 1821 1822 (sp) 1823 1824 1824 (sp) 1827 1829 1832 (sp) 1833 1834 (sp) 1835 1836 (sp) 1837 1837 (sp) 1839 1840 1841 (sp) 1845 1845 (sp) 1846 1847 (sp) 1850 1852 1856 1858 1861 (sp) 1863 1865 1865 (sp) 1870 1871 1875 1877 1881 1883 1887 1889 1893 1893 (sp) 1894 1899 1899 1904 1906 1910 1911 1912 1912 (sp) 1916 1918 1920 (sp) 1922 1924 1928 1930 1933 (sp) 1934 1936 1940 1942 1946 1946 (sp) 1948 1952 1954 1958 1960 1964 1966 1966 (sp) 1970 1972 1976 1978 1982 1984 1988 1990 1994 1996 2000 2002 2006 2008 2012 2014 2018 2020 2024 2026
U.S. House
1789 1790 9th sp 1793 1795 1797 1798 (9th sp) 1799 1800 (13th sp) 1801 1803 1804 5th sp 13th sp 1805 13th sp 1807 17th sp 1809 21st sp 1st sp 1811 1813 1814 (11th sp) 1815 15th sp 1816 18th sp 23rd sp 1817 1818 (19th sp) 1819 1820 1st sp 10th sp 17th sp 20th sp 1821 1822 (2nd sp) 1823 1824 (13th sp) 1825 1826 (5th sp) 1827 1829 10th sp 1831 1833 1835 1837 1839 1841 1843 1845 1847 1849 1851 1853 1855 1857 1859 4th sp 1861 11th sp 1862 (1st sp) 1869 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 7th sp 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 7th sp 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1st sp 1920 4th sp 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 2nd sp 1946 5th sp 6th sp 7th sp 1948 4th sp 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 6th sp 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 5th sp 1990 1991 (7th sp) 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2001 (4th sp) 2002 8th 2004 2006 2007 (1st sp) 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 10th 2020 2022 2023 (4th sp) 2024

State government

Governor
1776 1851 1855 1859 1863 C U 1869 1873 1877 1881 1885 1889 1893 1897 1901 1905 1909 1913 1917 1921 1925 1929 1933 1937 1941 1945 1949 1953 1957 1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025
Lieutenant Governor
1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025
Attorney General
1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025
Senate
1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
House of Delegates
1975 1977 1979 1981 1982 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023
State elections
1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2023

In the 1973 Virginia gubernatorial election, incumbent Governor A. Linwood Holton, Jr., a Republican, was unable to seek re-election due to term limits. Mills E. Godwin, Jr., former Democratic Governor of Virginia, was nominated by the Republican Party to run against Independent Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Henry Howell. The Democrats did not field a candidate, mostly choosing to support Howell's candidacy.

This was the last time until 2013 in which a member of the incumbent President's party was elected Governor of Virginia. It was also the last time a non-Democrat won the city of Alexandria.

General election

Candidates

Mills E. Godwin, Jr., former Governor of Virginia (Republican)
Henry Howell, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and candidate for Governor in 1969 (Independent)

Results

1973 Virginia gubernatorial election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Mills Godwin	525,075	50.71%	1.80
	Independent	Henry Howell	510,103	49.26%	N/A
	Write-ins		317	0.03%
Majority			14,972	1.45%	−5.67%
Turnout			1,035,495
	Republican hold		Swing

References

^ http://www.coopercenter.org/sites/default/files/autoVANLPubs/Virginia%20News%20Letter%201974%20Vol.%2050%20No.%2012.pdf ^{[dead link]}

v t e (1972 ←) 1973 United States elections (→ 1974)
U.S. House	Alaska (at-large sp) Illinois (7th sp) Louisiana (2nd sp) Maryland (1st sp)
State governors	New Jersey Virginia Lt. Gov
State legislatures	New Jersey Senate
Mayors	Atlanta, GA Cleveland, OH Detroit, MI Los Angeles, CA Manchester, NH New Orleans, LA New York City, NY Pittsburgh, PA St. Louis, MO Springfield, MA (sp) Springfield, MA

v t e Notable third-party performances in United States elections
* Third party is endorsed by a major party
Presidential	1788–89* 1792* 1832 1848 1856 1860 1872* 1892 1896* 1912 1924 1948 1960 1968 1980 1992 1996
Senatorial (since 1940)	California 1940 Minnesota 1940 North Dakota 1940 Wisconsin 1940 Minnesota 1942 Minnesota 1942 Nebraska 1942 Virginia 1942 North Dakota 1944 Wisconsin 1944 California 1946 (Republican write-in) North Dakota 1946 North Dakota 1946 Tennessee 1946 Arkansas 1948 Alabama 1950 New Hampshire 1950 California 1952 Maine 1952 New York 1952 North Dakota 1952 Virginia 1952 South Carolina 1954 (Democratic write-in) Virginia 1954 Utah 1958 Virginia 1958 Virginia 1960 Virginia 1964 Mississippi 1966 Virginia 1966 Virginia 1966 Alabama 1968 Alaska 1968 Maryland 1968 New York 1968 Connecticut 1970 Mississippi 1970 New York 1970 Virginia 1970 Louisiana 1972 Florida 1974 Hawaii 1974 Nevada 1974 New York 1974 Utah 1974 Minnesota 1976 Virginia 1976 Alabama 1978 Arkansas 1978 Maine 1978 Mississippi 1978 New York 1980 Washington 1982 Tennessee 1984 Virginia 1990 Alaska 1992 Arizona 1992 Hawaii 1992 Louisiana 1992 Ohio 1992 Arizona 1994 Minnesota 1994 Ohio 1994 Vermont 1994 Virginia 1994 Alaska 1996 Minnesota 1996 Arizona 2000 Massachusetts 2000 Minnesota 2000 Alaska 2002 Kansas 2002 Massachusetts 2002 Mississippi 2002 Oklahoma 2002 Virginia 2002 Oklahoma 2004 Connecticut 2006 Indiana 2006 Maine 2006 Vermont 2006* Arkansas 2008 Idaho 2008 Minnesota 2008 Oregon 2008 Alaska 2010 (Republican write-in) Florida 2010 Indiana 2010 South Carolina 2010 Utah 2010 Indiana 2012 Maine 2012 Maryland 2012 Missouri 2012 Montana 2012 Vermont 2012* Kansas 2014 South Dakota 2014 Wyoming 2014 Alaska 2016 Arizona 2016 Idaho 2016 Indiana 2016 Kansas 2016 Maine 2018 New Mexico 2018 Vermont 2018* Alaska 2020* Arkansas 2020 Minnesota 2020 Nebraska 2020 Idaho 2022 North Dakota 2022 Utah 2022* Maine 2024 Nebraska 2024 Utah 2024 Vermont 2024*
Gubernatorial (since 1940)	Minnesota 1940 Wisconsin 1940 Connecticut 1942 Minnesota 1942 New York 1942 Wisconsin 1942 North Dakota 1944 Wisconsin 1944 California 1946 Tennessee 1950 Maine 1952 Vermont 1952 Tennessee 1954 Nebraska 1956 Texas 1956 Utah 1956 Oklahoma 1958 Tennessee 1958 North Dakota 1960 Tennessee 1962 Virginia 1965 Alabama 1966 Georgia 1966 Idaho 1966 Maryland 1966 New York 1966 Tennessee 1966 Alabama 1970 Arkansas 1970 New Hampshire 1970 New York 1970 Mississippi 1971 New Hampshire 1972 Texas 1972 Washington 1972 Virginia 1973 Maine 1974 Nebraska 1974 Nevada 1974 Texas 1974 Vermont 1974 Vermont 1976 Alaska 1978 California 1978 Maine 1978 Rhode Island 1978 Alaska 1982 Arizona 1982 Hawaii 1982 Alaska 1986 Arizona 1986 Illinois 1986 Maine 1986 Oklahoma 1986 Vermont 1986 Utah 1988 Alaska 1990 Connecticut 1990 Kansas 1990 Maine 1990 New York 1990 Oklahoma 1990 Oregon 1990 Utah 1992 West Virginia 1992 Alaska 1994 Connecticut 1994 Hawaii 1994 Maine 1994 New Mexico 1994 Oklahoma 1994 Pennsylvania 1994 Rhode Island 1994 Vermont 1994 Alaska 1998 Maine 1998 Minnesota 1998 New York 1998 Pennsylvania 1998 Rhode Island 1998 Kentucky 1999 New Hampshire 2000 Vermont 2000 Arizona 2002 California 2002 Maine 2002 Minnesota 2002 New Mexico 2002 New York 2002 Oklahoma 2002 Vermont 2002 Wisconsin 2002 Alaska 2006 Illinois 2006 Maine 2006 Massachusetts 2006 Minnesota 2006 Texas 2006 Louisiana 2007 Vermont 2008 New Jersey 2009 Colorado 2010 Idaho 2010 Maine 2010 Massachusetts 2010 Minnesota 2010 Rhode Island 2010 Wyoming 2010 Kentucky 2011 Virginia 2013 Alaska 2014* Hawaii 2014 Maine 2014 Rhode Island 2014 Wyoming 2014 Maine 2018 Kansas 2018 Indiana 2020 Vermont 2020* Alaska 2022 Idaho 2022 Oregon 2022 North Dakota 2024 Utah 2024 (Republican write-in)
Territorial Governors (since 1970)	U.S. Virgin Islands 1970 Puerto Rico 1972 District of Columbia 1974 U.S. Virgin Islands 1974 U.S. Virgin Islands 1978 Puerto Rico 1980 U.S. Virgin Islands 1986 Puerto Rico 1988 U.S. Virgin Islands 1990 U.S. Virgin Islands 1994 U.S. Virgin Islands 1998 Puerto Rico 2000 Northern Mariana Islands 2001 U.S. Virgin Islands 2002 Northern Mariana Islands 2005 U.S. Virgin Islands 2006 Northern Mariana Islands 2009 District of Columbia 2010 U.S. Virgin Islands 2010 District of Columbia 2014 Northern Mariana Islands 2014 U.S. Virgin Islands 2014 Puerto Rico 2016 District of Columbia 2018 Guam 2018 Northern Mariana Islands 2018 U.S. Virgin Islands 2018 Puerto Rico 2020 District of Columbia 2022 Northern Mariana Islands 2022 U.S. Virgin Islands 2022 Puerto Rico 2024
State legislative	Alaska Hawaii Louisiana Montana West Virginia Wyoming
Portal:Politics Third party (U.S. politics) List of third-party and independent performances in United States elections Third-party and independent members of the United States Congress

This Virginia elections-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.