1989 Virginia gubernatorial election

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1989 Virginia gubernatorial election
Flag of Virginia.svg
←  1985 November 7, 1989 1993  →
Turnout66.5% (voting eligible) [1]
  D.Wilder S.Senate poster (cropped).jpg Marshall Coleman 1976.jpg
Nominee Douglas Wilder Marshall Coleman
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote896,936890,195
Percentage50.1%49.8%
1989 Virginia gubernatorial election results map by county.svg
1989 Virginia gubernatorial election by Congressional District.svg
Wilder:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Coleman:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Governor before election

Jerry Baliles
Democratic

Elected Governor

Douglas Wilder
Democratic

The 1989 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1989. Incumbent Democratic governor Jerry Baliles was unable to seek a second term due to term limits. Democratic nominee and Lieutenant Governor L. Douglas Wilder went against former attorney general of Virginia J. Marshall Coleman in one of the closest elections in Virginia history. Upon taking the oath of office in January 1990, Governor Wilder became the first African-American governor of Virginia, and the first African-American governor of any state since Reconstruction more than one hundred years earlier.

Contents

This remains the last election in which a party won the governorship for a third consecutive term.

Republican primary

Candidates

Republican primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican J. Marshall Coleman 147,941 36.81
Republican Paul S. Trible, Jr.141,12035.11
Republican Stanford Parris112,82628.07
Total votes401,887 100.00

General election

Candidates

Results

Virginia gubernatorial election, 1989 [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic L. Douglas Wilder 896,936 50.13% −5.04%
Republican J. Marshall Coleman 890,19549.76%+4.97%
Write-ins1,9470.11%
Majority6,7410.37%−10.02%
Turnout 1,789,078
Democratic hold Swing

Results by county and city

CountyWilderVotesColemanVotesOthersVotes
Accomack 44.9%4,76755.0%5,8380.0%3
Albemarle 51.7%10,74348.1%9,9980.2%35
Alexandria 68.0%22,45131.8%10,4930.2%77
Alleghany 49.7%2,31350.3%2,3420.0%0
Amelia 43.8%1,50956.2%1,9370.1%2
Amherst 44.6%4,00055.4%4,9650.0%4
Appomattox 47.9%2,32152.1%2,5280.0%0
Arlington 67.1%35,71632.8%17,4520.1%44
Augusta 30.7%4,50269.2%10,1460.1%16
Bath 46.1%77053.8%9000.1%2
Bedford 42.0%5,87157.9%8,0940.1%7
Bedford County 48.1%96151.8%1,0350.1%2
Bland 33.9%66166.1%1,2870.0%0
Botetourt 46.8%3,99853.1%4,5390.1%5
Bristol 41.9%2,10958.0%2,9200.1%4
Brunswick 56.1%3,18143.9%2,4930.0%0
Buchanan 59.4%5,67840.6%3,8750.0%0
Buckingham 44.4%2,01455.5%2,5150.0%2
Buena Vista 51.2%86948.5%8230.4%6
Campbell 38.6%6,04361.4%9,6110.0%4
Caroline 54.9%3,23245.1%2,6580.0%1
Carroll 32.5%2,37567.5%4,9260.0%0
Charles City 78.7%2,05021.3%5540.0%1
Charlotte 44.8%2,07255.2%2,5520.0%2
Charlottesville 63.7%6,89236.1%3,9020.2%24
Chesapeake 50.3%21,38449.6%21,0760.1%24
Chesterfield 35.2%23,79964.6%43,6560.2%151
Clarke 47.4%1,39452.6%1,5460.0%0
Clifton Forge 57.4%91242.6%6760.0%0
Colonial Heights 24.0%1,56875.9%4,9540.0%1
Covington 57.3%1,57042.7%1,1690.0%1
Craig 45.8%76653.9%9020.4%6
Culpeper 38.7%2,67061.3%4,2300.0%2
Cumberland 46.7%1,41853.3%1,6170.0%0
Danville 40.4%6,94459.5%10,2230.0%2
Dickenson 62.3%3,53637.6%2,1310.1%6
Dinwiddie 47.5%3,32152.5%3,6760.0%0
Emporia 46.7%1,09453.3%1,2490.0%1
Essex 44.7%1,37355.2%1,6940.1%2
Fairfax County 55.9%127,23643.9%99,9570.2%518
Fairfax 52.8%3,39847.1%3,0270.1%6
Falls Church 63.1%2,61736.9%1,5300.0%2
Fauquier 45.3%5,54554.7%6,7000.0%4
Floyd 39.6%1,56660.4%2,3870.0%1
Fluvanna 42.9%1,55457.0%2,0630.1%4
Franklin 46.0%5,15853.9%6,0370.1%6
Franklin County 61.9%1,86538.1%1,1460.0%0
Frederick 36.3%3,74663.7%6,5810.0%3
Fredericksburg 52.0%2,51548.0%2,3210.1%3
Galax 36.7%62563.3%1,0770.0%0
Giles 51.0%2,56849.0%2,4680.0%2
Gloucester 42.4%4,25857.4%5,7650.1%13
Goochland 44.4%2,47355.5%3,0920.0%2
Grayson 34.5%1,76165.5%3,3370.0%0
Greene 33.3%86366.7%1,7260.0%0
Greensville 57.6%1,95242.4%1,4350.0%1
Halifax 46.7%4,56253.3%5,2050.0%2
Hampton 59.8%23,09740.1%15,4890.1%22
Hanover 30.8%7,39169.0%16,5520.1%32
Harrisonburg 42.5%2,64757.3%3,5620.2%12
Henrico 41.2%32,93958.7%46,9470.2%156
Henry 41.5%6,67458.5%9,4140.0%1
Highland 41.0%43758.8%6260.2%2
Hopewell 40.3%2,78159.7%4,1190.0%0
Isle of Wight 49.5%4,35350.5%4,4420.0%4
James City 49.8%5,82750.0%5,8500.1%15
King and Queen 53.3%1,27846.6%1,1190.1%3
King George 46.2%1,56353.8%1,8190.0%1
King William 44.2%1,79455.8%2,2650.0%2
Lancaster 39.3%1,83460.7%2,8380.0%0
Lee 54.8%3,43145.2%2,8300.0%1
Lexington 58.5%1,04341.5%7400.1%1
Loudoun 51.1%11,06548.8%10,5550.1%25
Louisa 46.2%2,93153.8%3,4160.0%3
Lunenburg 45.8%1,89654.2%2,2480.0%0
Lynchburg 47.9%10,06052.1%10,9270.0%4
Madison 40.5%1,44859.4%2,1210.1%4
Manassas 47.4%2,66352.5%2,9470.1%6
Manassas Park 45.5%38554.4%4600.1%1
Martinsville 49.9%2,76350.1%2,7770.0%1
Mathews 41.1%1,53458.8%2,1930.0%1
Mecklenburg 38.0%3,28762.0%5,3730.0%1
Middlesex 41.5%1,52058.4%2,1420.1%3
Montgomery 51.7%9,12148.3%8,5130.0%5
Nelson 54.4%2,34145.6%1,9610.0%0
New Kent 42.6%1,79757.2%2,4160.2%9
Newport News 54.3%25,28445.6%21,2610.1%36
Norfolk 66.1%37,84433.8%19,3850.1%62
Northampton 55.4%2,48244.4%1,9890.2%9
Northumberland 40.0%1,66960.0%2,5060.0%2
Norton 65.5%80834.3%4230.2%3
Nottoway 45.7%2,33154.3%2,7680.0%0
Orange 41.5%2,46558.4%3,4680.0%1
Page 33.8%1,92566.1%3,7600.0%2
Patrick 35.2%1,76164.8%3,2460.0%0
Petersburg 70.8%8,39429.1%3,4540.0%2
Pittsylvania 37.4%6,34962.6%10,6160.0%3
Poquoson 34.0%1,35366.0%2,6260.1%2
Portsmouth 61.9%19,99838.0%12,2810.0%5
Powhatan 34.5%1,74165.4%3,2980.0%2
Prince Edward 50.8%2,82249.2%2,7320.0%2
Prince George 39.0%2,69361.0%4,2190.0%1
Prince William 49.0%20,32950.9%21,1040.1%34
Pulaski 44.1%4,55055.9%5,7710.0%4
Radford 51.3%2,09248.6%1,9800.1%3
Rappahannock 45.0%97155.0%1,1880.0%1
Richmond County 36.3%88763.7%1,5580.0%1
Richmond 68.0%49,51331.9%23,2390.1%67
Roanoke 47.1%14,07452.9%15,8070.0%8
Roanoke County 59.0%16,59040.9%11,4830.1%22
Rockbridge 46.0%2,31454.0%2,7130.0%0
Rockingham 30.7%4,45269.1%10,0190.2%24
Russell 56.9%4,95543.1%3,7500.0%2
South Boston 48.1%3,85451.8%4,1430.1%8
Salem 43.3%2,82556.7%3,7040.0%0
Scott 35.4%3,39064.6%6,1860.0%3
Shenandoah 39.5%3,55760.4%5,4380.0%4
Smyth 40.6%98759.3%1,4410.1%2
Southampton 52.0%3,07448.0%2,8360.0%0
Spotsylvania 41.9%5,52458.0%7,6460.0%5
Stafford 40.3%5,77559.7%8,5650.0%7
Staunton 37.8%2,74862.1%4,5120.0%3
Suffolk 52.5%8,74347.4%7,8930.0%3
Surry 63.1%1,74036.9%1,0180.0%0
Sussex 59.1%2,25140.9%1,5610.0%0
Tazewell 47.8%5,33852.2%5,8310.0%3
Virginia Beach 48.2%41,57051.4%44,3320.3%265
Warren 42.9%2,68157.1%3,5640.0%1
Washington 40.4%5,57259.6%8,2190.0%0
Waynesboro 36.6%2,10263.3%3,6370.1%5
Westmoreland 48.6%2,19751.3%2,3220.1%3
Williamsburg 61.5%1,64138.5%1,0260.0%0
Winchester 41.1%2,25358.9%3,2320.0%2
Wise 59.6%6,64140.4%4,4950.0%3
Wythe 36.2%2,81763.8%4,9700.0%0
York 45.1%6,00154.8%7,2830.1%13

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References

  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. ↑ Commonwealth of Virginia. State Board of Elections. "Recapitulation--Republican Primary Election" Official Election Results 1989. Comp. Susan H. Fitz-Hugh. Richmond, Virginia: n.p., 1989. 49. Print.
  3. ↑ "Virginia Elections Database - 1989 Governor General Election". Virginia Department of Elections. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
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