1989 Virginia gubernatorial election

none related races 1989 United States gubernatorial elections January 2025 September 2023 1989 Virginia gubernatorial election Virginia Presidential no 1985 Virginia gubernatorial election 1985 66.5% (voting eligible) http://elections.virginia.gov/resultsreports/registration-statistics/registrationturnout-statistics/ Registration/Turnout Statistics The Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia Department of Elections 2016 July 25, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160816110827/http://elections.virginia.gov/resultsreports/registration-statistics/registrationturnout-statistics/ August 16, 2016 dead 1993 Virginia gubernatorial election 1993 November 7, 1989 File:D.Wilder S.Senate poster (cropped).jpg 150x150px Douglas Wilder Democratic Party (United States) 896,936 50.13% File:Marshall Coleman 1976.jpg Marshall Coleman Republican Party (United States) 890,195 49.76% 300px County and independent city results 300px Congressional district results Wilder: #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80%Coleman: #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% Governor Jerry Baliles Democratic Party (United States) Douglas Wilder Democratic Party (United States) 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, the first African-American governor of any state since Reconstruction more than one hundred years earlier, and the first African-American elected as the governor of a U.S. state in a fully open election, as opposed to the unusual circumstances under which the Reconstruction governors were chosen. This remains the last election in which a party won the governorship for a third consecutive term. Coleman's perception as being far-right on the issue of abortion was a major deciding factor in swinging independents to Wilder in the election, which otherwise found little ideological separation between two candidates from the respective centrist wings of their parties.Bass Janet Abortion plays major role in election results https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/11/08/Abortion-plays-major-role-in-election-results/9902626504400/ 11 September 2025 United Press International 8 November 1989 Republican primary Candidates J. Marshall Coleman, former attorney general of Virginia and 1981 nominee for governor Stanford Parris, U.S. representative from Fairfax Station Paul S. Trible, Jr., former U.S. senator Republican primary resultsCommonwealth 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. J. Marshall Coleman Republican Party (United States) 147,941 36.81 Paul S. Trible, Jr. Republican Party (United States) 141,120 35.11 Stanford Parris Republican Party (United States) 112,826 28.07 401,887 100.00 General election Candidates J. Marshall Coleman, former attorney general of Virginia and 1981 nominee for governor (Republican) L. Douglas Wilder, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and former state senator from Richmond (Democratic) Results Virginia gubernatorial election, 1989https://historical.elections.virginia.gov/elections/view/47457/ Virginia Elections Database - 1989 Governor General Election Virginia Department of Elections October 31, 2019 Democratic Party (United States) L. Douglas Wilder 896,936 50.13% -5.04% Republican Party (United States) J. Marshall Coleman 890,195 49.76% +4.97% Write-ins 1,947 0.11% 6,741 0.37% -10.02% 1,789,078 Democratic Party (United States) Results by county and city County Wilder Votes Coleman Votes Others VotesAccomack 44.9% 4,767 55.0% 5,838 0.0% 3Albemarle 51.7% 10,743 48.1% 9,998 0.2% 35Alexandria 68.0% 22,451 31.8% 10,493 0.2% 77Alleghany 49.7% 2,313 50.3% 2,342 0.0% 0Amelia 43.8% 1,509 56.2% 1,937 0.1% 2Amherst 44.6% 4,000 55.4% 4,965 0.0% 4Appomattox 47.9% 2,321 52.1% 2,528 0.0% 0Arlington 67.1% 35,716 32.8% 17,452 0.1% 44Augusta 30.7% 4,502 69.2% 10,146 0.1% 16Bath 46.1% 770 53.8% 900 0.1% 2Bedford 42.0% 5,871 57.9% 8,094 0.1% 7Bedford County 48.1% 961 51.8% 1,035 0.1% 2Bland 33.9% 661 66.1% 1,287 0.0% 0Botetourt 46.8% 3,998 53.1% 4,539 0.1% 5Bristol 41.9% 2,109 58.0% 2,920 0.1% 4Brunswick 56.1% 3,181 43.9% 2,493 0.0% 0Buchanan 59.4% 5,678 40.6% 3,875 0.0% 0Buckingham 44.4% 2,014 55.5% 2,515 0.0% 2Buena Vista 51.2% 869 48.5% 823 0.4% 6Campbell 38.6% 6,043 61.4% 9,611 0.0% 4Caroline 54.9% 3,232 45.1% 2,658 0.0% 1Carroll 32.5% 2,375 67.5% 4,926 0.0% 0Charles City 78.7% 2,050 21.3% 554 0.0% 1Charlotte 44.8% 2,072 55.2% 2,552 0.0% 2Charlottesville 63.7% 6,892 36.1% 3,902 0.2% 24Chesapeake 50.3% 21,384 49.6% 21,076 0.1% 24Chesterfield 35.2% 23,799 64.6% 43,656 0.2% 151Clarke 47.4% 1,394 52.6% 1,546 0.0% 0Clifton Forge 57.4% 912 42.6% 676 0.0% 0Colonial Heights 24.0% 1,568 75.9% 4,954 0.0% 1Covington 57.3% 1,570 42.7% 1,169 0.0% 1Craig 45.8% 766 53.9% 902 0.4% 6Culpeper 38.7% 2,670 61.3% 4,230 0.0% 2Cumberland 46.7% 1,418 53.3% 1,617 0.0% 0Danville 40.4% 6,944 59.5% 10,223 0.0% 2Dickenson 62.3% 3,536 37.6% 2,131 0.1% 6Dinwiddie 47.5% 3,321 52.5% 3,676 0.0% 0Emporia 46.7% 1,094 53.3% 1,249 0.0% 1Essex 44.7% 1,373 55.2% 1,694 0.1% 2Fairfax County 55.9% 127,236 43.9% 99,957 0.2% 518Fairfax 52.8% 3,398 47.1% 3,027 0.1% 6Falls Church 63.1% 2,617 36.9% 1,530 0.0% 2Fauquier 45.3% 5,545 54.7% 6,700 0.0% 4Floyd 39.6% 1,566 60.4% 2,387 0.0% 1Fluvanna 42.9% 1,554 57.0% 2,063 0.1% 4Franklin 46.0% 5,158 53.9% 6,037 0.1% 6Franklin County 61.9% 1,865 38.1% 1,146 0.0% 0Frederick 36.3% 3,746 63.7% 6,581 0.0% 3Fredericksburg 52.0% 2,515 48.0% 2,321 0.1% 3Galax 36.7% 625 63.3% 1,077 0.0% 0Giles 51.0% 2,568 49.0% 2,468 0.0% 2Gloucester 42.4% 4,258 57.4% 5,765 0.1% 13Goochland 44.4% 2,473 55.5% 3,092 0.0% 2Grayson 34.5% 1,761 65.5% 3,337 0.0% 0Greene 33.3% 863 66.7% 1,726 0.0% 0Greensville 57.6% 1,952 42.4% 1,435 0.0% 1Halifax 46.7% 4,562 53.3% 5,205 0.0% 2Hampton 59.8% 23,097 40.1% 15,489 0.1% 22Hanover 30.8% 7,391 69.0% 16,552 0.1% 32Harrisonburg 42.5% 2,647 57.3% 3,562 0.2% 12Henrico 41.2% 32,939 58.7% 46,947 0.2% 156Henry 41.5% 6,674 58.5% 9,414 0.0% 1Highland 41.0% 437 58.8% 626 0.2% 2Hopewell 40.3% 2,781 59.7% 4,119 0.0% 0Isle of Wight 49.5% 4,353 50.5% 4,442 0.0% 4James City 49.8% 5,827 50.0% 5,850 0.1% 15King and Queen 53.3% 1,278 46.6% 1,119 0.1% 3King George 46.2% 1,563 53.8% 1,819 0.0% 1King William 44.2% 1,794 55.8% 2,265 0.0% 2Lancaster 39.3% 1,834 60.7% 2,838 0.0% 0Lee 54.8% 3,431 45.2% 2,830 0.0% 1Lexington 58.5% 1,043 41.5% 740 0.1% 1Loudoun 51.1% 11,065 48.8% 10,555 0.1% 25Louisa 46.2% 2,931 53.8% 3,416 0.0% 3Lunenburg 45.8% 1,896 54.2% 2,248 0.0% 0Lynchburg 47.9% 10,060 52.1% 10,927 0.0% 4Madison 40.5% 1,448 59.4% 2,121 0.1% 4Manassas 47.4% 2,663 52.5% 2,947 0.1% 6Manassas Park 45.5% 385 54.4% 460 0.1% 1Martinsville 49.9% 2,763 50.1% 2,777 0.0% 1Mathews 41.1% 1,534 58.8% 2,193 0.0% 1Mecklenburg 38.0% 3,287 62.0% 5,373 0.0% 1Middlesex 41.5% 1,520 58.4% 2,142 0.1% 3Montgomery 51.7% 9,121 48.3% 8,513 0.0% 5Nelson 54.4% 2,341 45.6% 1,961 0.0% 0New Kent 42.6% 1,797 57.2% 2,416 0.2% 9Newport News 54.3% 25,284 45.6% 21,261 0.1% 36Norfolk 66.1% 37,844 33.8% 19,385 0.1% 62Northampton 55.4% 2,482 44.4% 1,989 0.2% 9Northumberland 40.0% 1,669 60.0% 2,506 0.0% 2Norton 65.5% 808 34.3% 423 0.2% 3Nottoway 45.7% 2,331 54.3% 2,768 0.0% 0Orange 41.5% 2,465 58.4% 3,468 0.0% 1Page 33.8% 1,925 66.1% 3,760 0.0% 2Patrick 35.2% 1,761 64.8% 3,246 0.0% 0Petersburg 70.8% 8,394 29.1% 3,454 0.0% 2Pittsylvania 37.4% 6,349 62.6% 10,616 0.0% 3Poquoson 34.0% 1,353 66.0% 2,626 0.1% 2Portsmouth 61.9% 19,998 38.0% 12,281 0.0% 5Powhatan 34.5% 1,741 65.4% 3,298 0.0% 2Prince Edward 50.8% 2,822 49.2% 2,732 0.0% 2Prince George 39.0% 2,693 61.0% 4,219 0.0% 1Prince William 49.0% 20,329 50.9% 21,104 0.1% 34Pulaski 44.1% 4,550 55.9% 5,771 0.0% 4Radford 51.3% 2,092 48.6% 1,980 0.1% 3Rappahannock 45.0% 971 55.0% 1,188 0.0% 1Richmond County 36.3% 887 63.7% 1,558 0.0% 1Richmond 68.0% 49,513 31.9% 23,239 0.1% 67Roanoke 59.0% 16,590 40.9% 11,483 0.1% 22Roanoke County 47.1% 14,074 52.9% 15,807 0.0% 8Rockbridge 46.0% 2,314 54.0% 2,713 0.0% 0Rockingham 30.7% 4,452 69.1% 10,019 0.2% 24Russell 56.9% 4,955 43.1% 3,750 0.0% 2South Boston 48.1% 3,854 51.8% 4,143 0.1% 8Salem 43.3% 2,825 56.7% 3,704 0.0% 0Scott 35.4% 3,390 64.6% 6,186 0.0% 3Shenandoah 39.5% 3,557 60.4% 5,438 0.0% 4Smyth 40.6% 987 59.3% 1,441 0.1% 2Southampton 52.0% 3,074 48.0% 2,836 0.0% 0Spotsylvania 41.9% 5,524 58.0% 7,646 0.0% 5Stafford 40.3% 5,775 59.7% 8,565 0.0% 7Staunton 37.8% 2,748 62.1% 4,512 0.0% 3Suffolk 52.5% 8,743 47.4% 7,893 0.0% 3Surry 63.1% 1,740 36.9% 1,018 0.0% 0Sussex 59.1% 2,251 40.9% 1,561 0.0% 0Tazewell 47.8% 5,338 52.2% 5,831 0.0% 3Virginia Beach 48.2% 41,570 51.4% 44,332 0.3% 265Warren 42.9% 2,681 57.1% 3,564 0.0% 1Washington 40.4% 5,572 59.6% 8,219 0.0% 0Waynesboro 36.6% 2,102 63.3% 3,637 0.1% 5Westmoreland 48.6% 2,197 51.3% 2,322 0.1% 3Williamsburg 61.5% 1,641 38.5% 1,026 0.0% 0Winchester 41.1% 2,253 58.9% 3,232 0.0% 2Wise 59.6% 6,641 40.4% 4,495 0.0% 3Wythe 36.2% 2,817 63.8% 4,970 0.0% 0York 45.1% 6,001 54.8% 7,283 0.1% 13 Counties and independent cities that flipped from Democratic to Republican Amelia (no municipalities) Amherst Appomattox Alleghany Bath Bedford Bedford (independent city) Bland Botetourt Bristol (independent city) Buckingham Charlotte Clarke Craig Dinwiddie Emporia (independent city) Franklin (independent city) Frederick Fauquier Fluvanna Galax (independent city) Gloucester Goochland (no municipalities) Grayson Halifax Henry Highland Isle of Wight James City (no municipalities) King George King William Louisa Lunenburg Madison Manassas Park (independent city) Martinsville (independent city) Middlesex Nottoway Orange Page Prince William Pulaski Rappahannock Roanoke Rockbridge Salem (independent city) Scott Smyth Stafford Spotsylvania Stafford (no municipalities) Tazewell Warren Washington Westmoreland Winchester (independent city) Virginia Beach (independent city) Waynesboro (independent city) Wythe References Gubernatorial 1989 Virginia Category:November 1989 in the United States