1989 Virginia gubernatorial election
← 1985 November 7, 1989 1993 →
Turnout66.5% (voting eligible)[1]
 
Nominee Douglas Wilder Marshall Coleman
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 896,936 890,195
Percentage 50.1% 49.8%
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

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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.

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

Republican primary

Candidates

Republican primary results[2]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican J. Marshall Coleman 147,941 36.81
Republican Paul S. Trible, Jr. 141,120 35.11
Republican Stanford Parris 112,826 28.07
Total votes 401,887 100.00

General election

Results

Virginia gubernatorial election, 1989[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic L. Douglas Wilder 896,936 50.13% -5.04%
Republican J. Marshall Coleman 890,195 49.76% +4.97%
Write-ins 1,947 0.11%
Majority 6,741 0.37% -10.02%
Turnout 1,789,078
Democratic hold Swing

Results by county and city

County Wilder Votes Coleman Votes Others Votes
Accomack 44.9% 4,767 55.0% 5,838 0.0% 3
Albemarle 51.7% 10,743 48.1% 9,998 0.2% 35
Alexandria 68.0% 22,451 31.8% 10,493 0.2% 77
Alleghany 49.7% 2,313 50.3% 2,342 0.0% 0
Amelia 43.8% 1,509 56.2% 1,937 0.1% 2
Amherst 44.6% 4,000 55.4% 4,965 0.0% 4
Appomattox 47.9% 2,321 52.1% 2,528 0.0% 0
Arlington 67.1% 35,716 32.8% 17,452 0.1% 44
Augusta 30.7% 4,502 69.2% 10,146 0.1% 16
Bath 46.1% 770 53.8% 900 0.1% 2
Bedford 42.0% 5,871 57.9% 8,094 0.1% 7
Bedford County 48.1% 961 51.8% 1,035 0.1% 2
Bland 33.9% 661 66.1% 1,287 0.0% 0
Botetourt 46.8% 3,998 53.1% 4,539 0.1% 5
Bristol 41.9% 2,109 58.0% 2,920 0.1% 4
Brunswick 56.1% 3,181 43.9% 2,493 0.0% 0
Buchanan 59.4% 5,678 40.6% 3,875 0.0% 0
Buckingham 44.4% 2,014 55.5% 2,515 0.0% 2
Buena Vista 51.2% 869 48.5% 823 0.4% 6
Campbell 38.6% 6,043 61.4% 9,611 0.0% 4
Caroline 54.9% 3,232 45.1% 2,658 0.0% 1
Carroll 32.5% 2,375 67.5% 4,926 0.0% 0
Charles City 78.7% 2,050 21.3% 554 0.0% 1
Charlotte 44.8% 2,072 55.2% 2,552 0.0% 2
Charlottesville 63.7% 6,892 36.1% 3,902 0.2% 24
Chesapeake 50.3% 21,384 49.6% 21,076 0.1% 24
Chesterfield 35.2% 23,799 64.6% 43,656 0.2% 151
Clarke 47.4% 1,394 52.6% 1,546 0.0% 0
Clifton Forge 57.4% 912 42.6% 676 0.0% 0
Colonial Heights 24.0% 1,568 75.9% 4,954 0.0% 1
Covington 57.3% 1,570 42.7% 1,169 0.0% 1
Craig 45.8% 766 53.9% 902 0.4% 6
Culpeper 38.7% 2,670 61.3% 4,230 0.0% 2
Cumberland 46.7% 1,418 53.3% 1,617 0.0% 0
Danville 40.4% 6,944 59.5% 10,223 0.0% 2
Dickenson 62.3% 3,536 37.6% 2,131 0.1% 6
Dinwiddie 47.5% 3,321 52.5% 3,676 0.0% 0
Emporia 46.7% 1,094 53.3% 1,249 0.0% 1
Essex 44.7% 1,373 55.2% 1,694 0.1% 2
Fairfax County 55.9% 127,236 43.9% 99,957 0.2% 518
Fairfax 52.8% 3,398 47.1% 3,027 0.1% 6
Falls Church 63.1% 2,617 36.9% 1,530 0.0% 2
Fauquier 45.3% 5,545 54.7% 6,700 0.0% 4
Floyd 39.6% 1,566 60.4% 2,387 0.0% 1
Fluvanna 42.9% 1,554 57.0% 2,063 0.1% 4
Franklin 46.0% 5,158 53.9% 6,037 0.1% 6
Franklin County 61.9% 1,865 38.1% 1,146 0.0% 0
Frederick 36.3% 3,746 63.7% 6,581 0.0% 3
Fredericksburg 52.0% 2,515 48.0% 2,321 0.1% 3
Galax 36.7% 625 63.3% 1,077 0.0% 0
Giles 51.0% 2,568 49.0% 2,468 0.0% 2
Gloucester 42.4% 4,258 57.4% 5,765 0.1% 13
Goochland 44.4% 2,473 55.5% 3,092 0.0% 2
Grayson 34.5% 1,761 65.5% 3,337 0.0% 0
Greene 33.3% 863 66.7% 1,726 0.0% 0
Greensville 57.6% 1,952 42.4% 1,435 0.0% 1
Halifax 46.7% 4,562 53.3% 5,205 0.0% 2
Hampton 59.8% 23,097 40.1% 15,489 0.1% 22
Hanover 30.8% 7,391 69.0% 16,552 0.1% 32
Harrisonburg 42.5% 2,647 57.3% 3,562 0.2% 12
Henrico 41.2% 32,939 58.7% 46,947 0.2% 156
Henry 41.5% 6,674 58.5% 9,414 0.0% 1
Highland 41.0% 437 58.8% 626 0.2% 2
Hopewell 40.3% 2,781 59.7% 4,119 0.0% 0
Isle of Wight 49.5% 4,353 50.5% 4,442 0.0% 4
James City 49.8% 5,827 50.0% 5,850 0.1% 15
King and Queen 53.3% 1,278 46.6% 1,119 0.1% 3
King George 46.2% 1,563 53.8% 1,819 0.0% 1
King William 44.2% 1,794 55.8% 2,265 0.0% 2
Lancaster 39.3% 1,834 60.7% 2,838 0.0% 0
Lee 54.8% 3,431 45.2% 2,830 0.0% 1
Lexington 58.5% 1,043 41.5% 740 0.1% 1
Loudoun 51.1% 11,065 48.8% 10,555 0.1% 25
Louisa 46.2% 2,931 53.8% 3,416 0.0% 3
Lunenburg 45.8% 1,896 54.2% 2,248 0.0% 0
Lynchburg 47.9% 10,060 52.1% 10,927 0.0% 4
Madison 40.5% 1,448 59.4% 2,121 0.1% 4
Manassas 47.4% 2,663 52.5% 2,947 0.1% 6
Manassas Park 45.5% 385 54.4% 460 0.1% 1
Martinsville 49.9% 2,763 50.1% 2,777 0.0% 1
Mathews 41.1% 1,534 58.8% 2,193 0.0% 1
Mecklenburg 38.0% 3,287 62.0% 5,373 0.0% 1
Middlesex 41.5% 1,520 58.4% 2,142 0.1% 3
Montgomery 51.7% 9,121 48.3% 8,513 0.0% 5
Nelson 54.4% 2,341 45.6% 1,961 0.0% 0
New Kent 42.6% 1,797 57.2% 2,416 0.2% 9
Newport News 54.3% 25,284 45.6% 21,261 0.1% 36
Norfolk 66.1% 37,844 33.8% 19,385 0.1% 62
Northampton 55.4% 2,482 44.4% 1,989 0.2% 9
Northumberland 40.0% 1,669 60.0% 2,506 0.0% 2
Norton 65.5% 808 34.3% 423 0.2% 3
Nottoway 45.7% 2,331 54.3% 2,768 0.0% 0
Orange 41.5% 2,465 58.4% 3,468 0.0% 1
Page 33.8% 1,925 66.1% 3,760 0.0% 2
Patrick 35.2% 1,761 64.8% 3,246 0.0% 0
Petersburg 70.8% 8,394 29.1% 3,454 0.0% 2
Pittsylvania 37.4% 6,349 62.6% 10,616 0.0% 3
Poquoson 34.0% 1,353 66.0% 2,626 0.1% 2
Portsmouth 61.9% 19,998 38.0% 12,281 0.0% 5
Powhatan 34.5% 1,741 65.4% 3,298 0.0% 2
Prince Edward 50.8% 2,822 49.2% 2,732 0.0% 2
Prince George 39.0% 2,693 61.0% 4,219 0.0% 1
Prince William 49.0% 20,329 50.9% 21,104 0.1% 34
Pulaski 44.1% 4,550 55.9% 5,771 0.0% 4
Radford 51.3% 2,092 48.6% 1,980 0.1% 3
Rappahannock 45.0% 971 55.0% 1,188 0.0% 1
Richmond County 36.3% 887 63.7% 1,558 0.0% 1
Richmond 68.0% 49,513 31.9% 23,239 0.1% 67
Roanoke 47.1% 14,074 52.9% 15,807 0.0% 8
Roanoke County 59.0% 16,590 40.9% 11,483 0.1% 22
Rockbridge 46.0% 2,314 54.0% 2,713 0.0% 0
Rockingham 30.7% 4,452 69.1% 10,019 0.2% 24
Russell 56.9% 4,955 43.1% 3,750 0.0% 2
South Boston 48.1% 3,854 51.8% 4,143 0.1% 8
Salem 43.3% 2,825 56.7% 3,704 0.0% 0
Scott 35.4% 3,390 64.6% 6,186 0.0% 3
Shenandoah 39.5% 3,557 60.4% 5,438 0.0% 4
Smyth 40.6% 987 59.3% 1,441 0.1% 2
Southampton 52.0% 3,074 48.0% 2,836 0.0% 0
Spotsylvania 41.9% 5,524 58.0% 7,646 0.0% 5
Stafford 40.3% 5,775 59.7% 8,565 0.0% 7
Staunton 37.8% 2,748 62.1% 4,512 0.0% 3
Suffolk 52.5% 8,743 47.4% 7,893 0.0% 3
Surry 63.1% 1,740 36.9% 1,018 0.0% 0
Sussex 59.1% 2,251 40.9% 1,561 0.0% 0
Tazewell 47.8% 5,338 52.2% 5,831 0.0% 3
Virginia Beach 48.2% 41,570 51.4% 44,332 0.3% 265
Warren 42.9% 2,681 57.1% 3,564 0.0% 1
Washington 40.4% 5,572 59.6% 8,219 0.0% 0
Waynesboro 36.6% 2,102 63.3% 3,637 0.1% 5
Westmoreland 48.6% 2,197 51.3% 2,322 0.1% 3
Williamsburg 61.5% 1,641 38.5% 1,026 0.0% 0
Winchester 41.1% 2,253 58.9% 3,232 0.0% 2
Wise 59.6% 6,641 40.4% 4,495 0.0% 3
Wythe 36.2% 2,817 63.8% 4,970 0.0% 0
York 45.1% 6,001 54.8% 7,283 0.1% 13

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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