1971 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial special election

none February 2026 January 2025 Virginia presidential no 1969 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election November 2, 1971 1969 1973 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election 1973 File:Henry Howell 1972.jpg 150x150px Henry Howell Independent (United States) 362,371 39.96% 3x4.svg George J. Kostel Democratic Party (United States) 334,580 36.89% 3x4.svg George P. Shafran Republican Party (United States) 209,861 23.14% File:1971 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial special election results map by county and independent city.svg County and independent city resultsHowell: #AAE5AA 30–40% #87DE87 40–50% #5FD35F 50–60% #37C837 60–70% #2CA02C 70–80% Kostel: #BDD3FF 30–40% #A5B0FF 40–50% #7996E2 50–60% #6674DE 60–70% #584cde 70–80% Shafran: #FFC8CD 30–40% #FFB2B2 40–50% #E27F7F 50–60% The 1971 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial special election was held on November 2, 1971, to elect the next Lieutenant Governor of Virginia following the death of incumbent J. Sargeant Reynolds on June 13. The election was concurrent with the 1971 Virginia Senate election and 1971 Virginia House of Delegates election. Independent candidate Henry Howell won against both Democratic nominee George J. Kostel and Republican nominee George P. Shafran.1971 Lieutenant Governor Special General Election https://historical.elections.virginia.gov/elections/view/78727/ 2024-06-13 Virginia Elections Database en-US Background J. Sergeant Reynolds had been elected as a Democrat to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1965,Miller Andrew P. November 1971 J. Sargeant Reynolds: What He Was, Not What He Might Have Been Virginia Law Review 57 8 1312-1314 at a time of profound political change in Virginia due to the Twenty-fourth Amendment and the Voting Rights ActLevy Mark R The Ethnic Factor: How America's Minorities Decide Elections Kramer Michael S. Simon and Schuster 1973 New York City 52–53 The Blacks: Overcoming in a New Way greatly expanding an electorate that had previously been proportionately the smallest in the country due to poll taxes and literacy tests.Key Valdimer Orlando Valdimer Orlando Key Southern Politics in State and Nation A.A. Knopf 1949 New York City 20, 495 In 1969, Sargeant Reynolds had been the only candidate to gain a majority in the first Democratic party primary, and gained statewide office in spite of the first non-Democratic gubernatorial win since 1881.Sweeney James R. Summer 1998 J. Sargeant Reynolds: What Might Have Been: Review of Sarge Reynolds: In The Time of His Life by Andy McCutcheon and Michael P. Gleason The Virginia Quarterly Review University of Virginia 74 3 578-580 He was universally seen as the Democrats' best hope to recapture the governors' mansion in 1973, but eight months into his tenure as lieutenant governor a desperate shock would occur when it was discovered he had a brain tumor.Kelley George M. August 31, 1970 Reynolds Suffering from Brain Tumor The Roanoke Times 1 Landmark News Service Doctors always ruled out surgery and hoped that radiation treatment and rest would solve the problem,May 5, 1971 Reynolds Back in Hospital Martinsville Bulletin 1 but ultimately Reynolds would die at the age of just thirty-four on June 13. With the death of Reynolds, confusion emerged over how to select candidates.Latimer James June 30, 1971 Double Race by Candidate Held Possible Richmond Times-Dispatch B1 State Senator and defeated 1969 Democratic gubernatorial primary candidate Henry Howell had already considered an independent run by the end of June, especially as he believed a convention of Democratic regulars would fail to nominate him.Sweeney James R. 2022 Armageddon Revisited: The 1973 Gubernatorial Election in Virginia The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography Virginia Historical Society 130 4 290-347 By mid-July, it had been announced that no primary election would be held and the Democratic party would nominate its candidate by convention on August 14.Latimer James July 14, 1971 McMath Considers No. 2 Role Richmond Times-Dispatch B1 In this convention, a little-known forty-three-year-old from Clifton Forge who had entered the race only eight days previously, George J. Kostel, prevailed over three conservative and one liberal challengers on the fourth ballot.Atkinson Frank B. The Dynamic Dominion: Realignment and the Rise of Two-Party Competition in Virginia, 1945-1980 Rowman & Littlefield Publishers 2006 9780742552081 Revised Lanham, Md. 259 The Reynolds Tragedy The previous day, Howell announced he had obtained sufficient signatures to file and obtain ballot access as an independent candidate.Farrar Wayne August 14, 1971 Howell Files Bid as Independent The Roanoke Times 1 whilst the Republican Party caucus saw five potential nominees identified by August 17,August 17, 1971 Republican Hopeful Sees Victory if Party Moves to the Right of Demo The Daily Advance Lynchburg, Virginia 13 although the conservative pro-Byrd junior George Mason Green and the more moderate George P. Shafran had emerged as frontrunners two weeks earlier, with the party arguing Howell's candidacy produced a need for wide appeal.August 3, 1971 Candidate Wants Better Harmony The News-Virginian Waynesboro, Virginia 7 Backed privately by sitting governor Linwood Holton, Shafran would claim the nomination on the second ballot on August 21.August 22, 1971 Harmony Marks Convention of Lieutenant Governor Question: Shafran Named Republican Nominee on Second Ballot Danville Register and Bee 1 Campaign From the beginning, Howell's hope was to hold the labor backing that turned to Holton in the 1969 gubernatorial election after Howell lost the primary.Carico Melville August 20, 1971 Howell Strength Faces Test at Labor Meeting The Roanoke Times 19 This he would gain from the AFL-CIO in the final week of August,August 25, 1971 Collection Started: AFL-CIO To Help Howell The World-News Roanoke, Virginia 1, 3 when it was known that both Kostel and Shafran supported Virginia's existing right-to-work law.August 26, 1971 Against Backing Candidate – AFL-CIO Officials Easily Re-elected The Free Lance-Star Fredericksburg, Virginia 22 By the second week of September, all three candidates were heavily campaigning across the state.September 8, 1971 Kostel, Shafran and Howell Campaign Across the State Richmond Times-Dispatch 2 Howell would speak in his typical flamboyant style, focusing on the utility and banks, who he felt were operating without necessary contraints,Goolrick John September 9, 1971 Supporters Here Rally for Howell The Free Lance-Star Fredericksburg, Virginia 11, 19 as part of his message of "keeping the big boys honest".The "big boys" Howell attacked were the major industrial businessmen centred in the state capital of Richmond. Kostel would deny this as the candidates travelled around the state.September 19, 1971 Kostel Says Rate Issue Is Distorted The Roanoke Times C—2 Shafran and Kostel made busing into a major issue, with Shafran strongly condemning it, whilst Howell attempted strongly to evade it.Mirto Val October 25, 1971 The Race for Lieutenant Governor – Busing Considered Main Issue Bullet University of Mary Washington Fredericksburg 12 Polls SourceRankingAs ofThe Roanoke TimesShafran Says Poll Shows Him Second; Kostel Derides It Beagle Ben The Roanoke Times October 22, 1971 21 Likely I October 22, 1971BulletPatterson Liz Lt. Governor Candidates: Howell, Shafran, Kostel Bullet University of Mary Washington 4 October 25, 1971 Likely I October 25, 1971Pomona Progress-BulletinPhiladelphia, San Francisco – Major Mayoral Votes Coming Tuesday Pomona Progress-Bulletin A-2 October 31, 1971 Likely I October 31, 1971 General election Candidates Henry Howell (Independent), State Senator from Norfolk City George J. Kostel (Democratic), State Delegate from Clifton Forge City George P. Shafran (Republican), State Delegate and former real estate agent from Arlington CountyMcDowell Jr. Charles July 22, 1971 Getting Educated in State Politics Richmond Times-Dispatch B-2 Results 1971 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial special election Independent (United States) Henry Howell 362,371 39.95% Democratic Party (United States) George J. Kostel 334,580 36.89% Republican Party (United States) George P. Shafran 209,861 23.14% 27,791 3.06% 906,893 34.89% +3.49% Independent (United States) Democratic Party (United States) Results by county or independent city +1971 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial special election by county or independent cityVA Lt. Governor – Special Election, November 06, 1971 https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=232679 Our Campaigns George J. KostelDemocratic George P. ShafranRepublican Henry Evans Howell, Jr.Independent Various candidatesWrite-ins MarginBecause Howell won the election as an independent and Kostel ran second in the state as a whole, all margins are Kostel vote minus Howell vote and all percentage margins Kostel percentage minus Howell percentage unless stated otherwise for the county or city in question. Total votes cast # % # % # % # % # % Accomack County 2,499 36.70% 870 12.78% 3,441 50.53% -942 -13.83% 6,810 Albemarle County 2,883 36.54% 1,691 21.43% 3,315 42.02% -432 -5.48% 7,889 Alleghany County 2,165 59.28% 372 10.19% 1,115 30.53% 1,050 28.75% 3,652 Amelia County 991 45.50% 224 10.28% 963 44.21% 28 1.29% 2,178 Amherst County 2,195 46.13% 853 17.93% 1,710 35.94% 485 10.19% 4,758 Appomattox County 2,127 59.26% 293 8.16% 1,168 32.54% 1 0.03% 959 26.72% 3,589 Arlington County 7,186 22.43% 13,543 42.28% 11,302 35.28% 1 0.00% 2,241"ShafrandKostel" In this county or city where Kostel ran third behind both Shafran and Howell, margin given is Shafran vote minus Howell vote and percentage margin Shafran percentage minus Howell percentage. 7.00% 32,032 Augusta County 2,782 34.42% 3,042 37.64% 2,258 27.94% -260"ShafrandHowell" In this county or city where Howell did run third behind Kostel and Shafran, margin given is Kostel vote minus Shafran vote and percentage margin Kostel percentage minus Shafran percentage. -3.22% 8,082 Bath County 1,110 59.49% 289 15.49% 467 25.03% 643 34.46% 1,866 Bedford County 2,181 39.15% 1,068 19.17% 2,322 41.68% -141 -2.53% 5,571 Bland County 604 30.88% 562 28.73% 790 40.39% -186 -9.51% 1,956 Botetourt County 2,383 44.09% 1,234 22.83% 1,788 33.08% 595 11.01% 5,405 Brunswick County 2,575 41.30% 407 6.53% 3,253 52.17% -678 -10.87% 6,235 Buchanan County 4,502 58.47% 2,451 31.83% 747 9.70% 2,051"ShafrandHowell" 26.64% 7,700 Buckingham County 1,590 45.78% 285 8.21% 1,598 46.01% -8 -0.23% 3,473 Campbell County 4,214 46.52% 2,104 23.23% 2,740 30.25% 1,474 16.27% 9,058 Caroline County 1,056 30.96% 296 8.68% 2,059 60.36% -1,003 -29.40% 3,411 Carroll County 1,333 27.20% 2,512 51.27% 1,055 21.53% -1,179"ShafrandHowell" -24.06% 4,900 Charles City County 310 17.82% 170 9.77% 1,260 72.41% -950 -54.60% 1,740 Charlotte County 1,597 43.10% 408 11.01% 1,700 45.88% -103 -2.78% 3,705 Chesterfield County 8,130 51.56% 2,266 14.37% 5,373 34.07% 2,757 17.48% 15,769 Clarke County 1,319 46.66% 633 22.39% 875 30.95% 444 15.71% 2,827 Craig County 555 41.48% 297 22.20% 486 36.32% 69 5.16% 1,338 Culpeper County 1,712 48.20% 772 21.73% 1,068 30.07% 644 18.13% 3,552 Cumberland County 788 41.69% 154 8.15% 948 50.16% -160 -8.47% 1,890 Dickenson County 2,673 38.81% 3,133 45.49% 1,081 15.70% -460"ShafrandHowell" -6.68% 6,887 Dinwiddie County 2,212 40.80% 476 8.78% 2,732 50.40% 1 0.02% -520 -9.59% 5,421 Essex County 942 41.87% 350 15.56% 958 42.58% -16 -0.71% 2,250 Fairfax County 13,973 21.30% 26,261 40.03% 25,373 38.67% 888"ShafrandKostel" 1.35% 65,607 Fauquier County 2,135 41.42% 1,232 23.90% 1,788 34.68% 347 6.73% 5,155 Floyd County 779 22.98% 1,231 36.31% 1,380 40.71% -149"ShafrandKostel" -4.40% 3,390 Fluvanna County 578 40.33% 248 17.31% 607 42.36% -29 -2.02% 1,433 Franklin County 3,607 48.52% 1,426 19.18% 2,401 32.30% 1,206 16.22% 7,434 Frederick County 1,539 31.80% 1,144 23.64% 2,156 44.55% -617 -12.75% 4,839 Giles County 1,974 33.28% 1,492 25.15% 2,466 41.57% -492 -8.29% 5,932 Gloucester County 1,219 31.43% 668 17.23% 1,991 51.34% -772 -19.91% 3,878 Goochland County 1,141 40.76% 320 11.43% 1,338 47.80% -197 -7.04% 2,799 Grayson County 2,155 40.58% 2,351 44.27% 805 15.16% -196"ShafrandHowell" -3.69% 5,311 Greene County 455 25.31% 371 20.63% 972 54.06% -517 -28.75% 1,798 Greensville County 973 36.65% 210 7.91% 1,472 55.44% -499 -18.79% 2,655 Halifax County 2,553 41.89% 668 10.96% 2,872 47.13% 1 0.02% -319 -5.23% 6,094 Hanover County 4,404 52.11% 1,083 12.82% 2,964 35.07% 1,440 17.04% 8,451 Henrico County 20,428 61.07% 4,805 14.37% 8,216 24.56% 12,212 36.51% 33,449 Henry County 3,366 35.41% 1,890 19.88% 4,251 44.71% -885 -9.31% 9,507 Highland County 304 32.31% 397 42.19% 240 25.50% -93"ShafrandHowell" -9.88% 941 Isle of Wight County 1,573 31.52% 573 11.48% 2,839 56.89% 5 0.10% -1,266 -25.37% 4,990 James City County 1,052 30.67% 619 18.05% 1,758 51.25% 1 0.03% -706 -20.58% 3,430 King and Queen County 560 35.78% 207 13.23% 796 50.86% 2 0.13% -236 -15.08% 1,565 King George County 488 24.89% 364 18.56% 1,109 56.55% -621 -31.67% 1,961 King William County 866 41.16% 260 12.36% 978 46.48% -112 -5.32% 2,104 Lancaster County 1,258 40.17% 547 17.46% 1,327 42.37% -69 -2.20% 3,132 Lee County 3,587 39.67% 4,048 44.77% 1,406 15.55% -461"ShafrandHowell" -5.10% 9,041 Loudoun County 2,626 37.22% 1,888 26.76% 2,542 36.03% 84 1.19% 7,056 Louisa County 1,544 46.38% 394 11.84% 1,391 41.78% 153 4.60% 3,329 Lunenburg County 1,377 52.52% 236 9.00% 1,001 38.18% 8 0.31% 376 14.34% 2,622 Madison County 745 39.61% 397 21.11% 739 39.29% 6 0.32% 1,881 Mathews County 668 30.42% 523 23.82% 1,005 45.77% -337 -15.35% 2,196 Mecklenburg County 3,347 55.86% 546 9.11% 2,099 35.03% 1,248 20.83% 5,992 Middlesex County 896 44.73% 296 14.78% 811 40.49% 85 4.24% 2,003 Montgomery County 2,799 31.29% 2,874 32.13% 3,273 36.59% -399"ShafrandKostel" -4.46% 8,946 Nelson County 1,638 47.85% 435 12.71% 1,350 39.44% 288 8.41% 3,423 New Kent County 549 35.15% 204 13.06% 809 51.79% -260 -16.65% 1,562 Northampton County 1,142 39.23% 370 12.71% 1,399 48.06% -257 -8.83% 2,911 Northumberland County 1,044 38.54% 402 14.84% 1,263 46.62% -219 -8.08% 2,709 Nottoway County 1,744 51.80% 268 7.96% 1,355 40.24% 389 11.55% 3,367 Orange County 1,268 46.31% 494 18.04% 976 35.65% 292 10.66% 2,738 Page County 2,134 32.89% 2,251 34.69% 2,104 32.42% -117"ShafrandHowell" -1.80% 6,489 Patrick County 1,422 38.60% 1,159 31.46% 1,103 29.94% 263"ShafrandHowell" 7.14% 3,684 Pittsylvania County 4,377 41.61% 1,711 16.26% 4,421 42.02% 11 0.10% -44 -0.42% 10,520 Powhatan County 954 40.77% 255 10.90% 1,131 48.33% -177 -7.56% 2,340 Prince Edward County 2,021 50.54% 341 8.53% 1,636 40.91% 1 0.03% 385 9.63% 3,999 Prince George County 1,257 39.45% 339 10.64% 1,589 49.87% 1 0.03% -332 -10.42% 3,186 Prince William County 3,213 25.68% 3,785 30.26% 5,512 44.06% -1,727"ShafrandKostel" -13.80% 12,510 Pulaski County 2,379 32.72% 2,020 27.78% 2,872 39.50% -493 -6.78% 7,271 Rappahannock County 682 44.52% 253 16.51% 597 38.97% 85 5.55% 1,532 Richmond County 744 42.42% 338 19.27% 672 38.31% 72 4.10% 1,754 Roanoke County 4,870 33.95% 4,480 31.23% 4,994 34.82% -124 -0.86% 14,344 Rockbridge County 1,215 40.98% 754 25.43% 996 33.59% 219 7.39% 2,965 Rockingham County 3,184 33.54% 3,382 35.63% 2,927 30.83% -198"ShafrandHowell" -2.09% 9,493 Russell County 3,954 44.54% 3,373 37.99% 1,551 17.47% 581"ShafrandHowell" 6.54% 8,878 Scott County 2,655 38.66% 2,903 42.27% 1,309 19.06% -248"ShafrandHowell" -3.61% 6,867 Shenandoah County 2,136 27.87% 3,710 48.40% 1,819 23.73% -1,574"ShafrandHowell" -20.53% 7,665 Smyth County 2,419 37.50% 2,053 31.82% 1,979 30.68% 366"ShafrandHowell" 5.67% 6,451 Southampton County 1,786 47.09% 348 9.17% 1,657 43.69% 2 0.05% 129 3.40% 3,793 Spotsylvania County 901 19.63% 585 12.74% 3,105 67.63% -2,204 -48.01% 4,591 Stafford County 1,166 18.45% 994 15.73% 4,161 65.83% -2,995 -47.38% 6,321 Surry County 727 33.66% 149 6.90% 1,284 59.44% -557 -25.79% 2,160 Sussex County 1,483 37.73% 313 7.96% 2,135 54.31% -652 -16.59% 3,931 Tazewell County 3,146 38.51% 2,171 26.58% 2,852 34.91% 294 3.60% 8,169 Warren County 1,668 35.29% 1,031 21.81% 2,028 42.90% -360 -7.62% 4,727 Washington County 3,504 42.43% 2,806 33.98% 1,948 23.59% 698"ShafrandHowell" 8.45% 8,258 Westmoreland County 709 36.14% 360 18.35% 893 45.51% -184 -9.38% 1,962 Wise County 6,372 48.15% 4,409 33.32% 2,452 18.53% 1,963"ShafrandHowell" 14.83% 13,233 Wythe County 1,994 39.82% 1,855 37.04% 1,159 23.14% 139"ShafrandHowell" 2.78% 5,008 York County 1,881 29.94% 1,216 19.36% 3,185 50.70% -1,304 -20.76% 6,282 Alexandria City 3,574 26.91% 4,572 34.43% 5,134 38.66% 1 0.01% -562"ShafrandKostel" -4.23% 13,281 Bedford City 705 51.24% 283 20.57% 388 28.20% 317 23.04% 1,376 Bristol City 1,205 60.95% 471 23.82% 301 15.23% 734"ShafrandHowell" 37.13% 1,977 Buena Vista City 506 62.78% 106 13.15% 194 24.07% 312 38.71% 806 Charlottesville City 2,971 35.73% 1,641 19.74% 3,703 44.53% -732 -8.80% 8,315 Chesapeake City 3,988 26.72% 1,894 12.69% 9,041 60.58% -5,053 -33.86% 14,923 Clifton Forge City 1,311 78.36% 75 4.48% 287 17.15% 1,024 61.21% 1,673 Colonial Heights City 1,911 54.91% 535 15.37% 1,034 29.71% 877 25.20% 3,480 Covington City 2,165 59.28% 372 10.19% 1,115 30.53% 1,050 28.75% 3,652 Danville City 2,422 37.86% 1,750 27.35% 2,218 34.67% 8 0.13% 204 3.19% 6,398 Emporia City 721 48.82% 138 9.34% 618 41.84% 103 6.97% 1,477 Fairfax City 527 18.58% 1,094 38.58% 1,215 42.84% -121"ShafrandKostel" -4.27% 2,836 Falls Church City 484 22.93% 732 34.68% 895 42.40% -163"ShafrandKostel" -7.72% 2,111 Franklin City 563 42.43% 172 12.96% 591 44.54% 1 0.08% -28 -2.11% 1,327 Fredericksburg City 835 28.79% 501 17.28% 1,564 53.93% -729 -25.14% 2,900 Galax City 722 46.28% 571 36.60% 267 17.12% 151"ShafrandHowell" 9.68% 1,560 Hampton City 4,698 29.28% 2,554 15.92% 8,794 54.80% 1 0.01% -4,096 -25.53% 16,047 Harrisonburg City 1,278 40.05% 1,130 35.41% 783 24.54% 148"ShafrandHowell" 4.64% 3,191 Hopewell City 2,014 45.48% 661 14.93% 1,753 39.59% 261 5.89% 4,428 Lexington City 687 45.32% 347 22.89% 482 31.79% 205 13.52% 1,516 Lynchburg City 4,626 47.29% 2,409 24.63% 2,747 28.08% 1,879 19.21% 9,782 Martinsville City 1,490 41.23% 772 21.36% 1,352 37.41% 138 3.82% 3,614 Newport News City 7,138 33.43% 3,519 16.48% 10,698 50.10% -3,560 -16.67% 21,355 Norfolk City 10,156 25.04% 6,419 15.83% 23,978 59.12% 4 0.01% -13,822 -34.08% 40,557 Norton City 677 53.56% 350 27.69% 237 18.75% 327"ShafrandHowell" 25.87% 1,264 Petersburg City 2,976 38.19% 491 6.30% 4,308 55.28% 18 0.23% -1,332 -17.09% 7,793 Portsmouth City 5,524 25.49% 2,517 11.61% 13,633 62.90% -8,109 -37.41% 21,674 Radford City 879 32.28% 1,046 38.41% 798 29.31% -167"ShafrandHowell" -6.13% 2,723 Richmond City 21,850 45.55% 4,634 9.66% 21,484 44.78% 4 0.01% 366 0.76% 47,972 Roanoke City 5,612 35.10% 4,219 26.39% 6,153 38.49% 3 0.02% -541 -3.38% 15,987 Salem City 1,502 35.60% 1,199 28.42% 1,518 35.98% -16 -0.38% 4,219 South Boston City 870 53.21% 209 12.78% 556 34.01% 314 19.20% 1,635 Staunton City 2,239 44.03% 1,651 32.47% 1,195 23.50% 588"ShafrandHowell" 11.56% 5,085 Suffolk City 981 50.00% 246 12.54% 735 37.46% 246 12.54% 1,962 Virginia Beach City 7,732 31.09% 5,209 20.95% 11,926 47.96% -4,194 -16.87% 24,867 Waynesboro City 1,210 34.33% 1,509 42.81% 806 22.87% -299"ShafrandHowell" -8.48% 3,525 Williamsburg City 679 42.44% 295 18.44% 626 39.13% 53 3.31% 1,600 Winchester City 1,568 42.26% 1,026 27.65% 1,116 30.08% 452 12.18% 3,710Totals334,58036.89%209,86123.14%362,37139.96%810.01%-27,791-3.06%906,893 Notes References collapsed 1971 Gubernatorial Virginia