1997 Virginia gubernatorial election

none related races 1997 United States gubernatorial elections January 2025 September 2023 1997 Virginia gubernatorial election Virginia presidential no 1993 Virginia gubernatorial election 1993 49.5% (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 2001 Virginia gubernatorial election 2001 November 4, 1997 Image:Jim Gilmore 2004 NSTAC crop.jpg 150x150px Jim Gilmore Republican Party (United States) 969,062 55.81% Image:Donald S Beyer Jr ambassador (cropped).jpg Don Beyer Democratic Party (United States) 738,971 42.56% 300px County and independent city results 300px Congressional district results 300px Precinct results Gilmore: #ffb2b2 40–50% #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% #C21B18 80–90% #A80000 >90%Beyer: #a5b0ff 40–50% #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584CDE 70–80% #3933E5 80–90% #0D0596 >90%#808080 No data Governor George Allen Republican Party (United States) Jim Gilmore Republican Party (United States) The 1997 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1997, to elect the next governor of Virginia. The election was held concurrently with other elections for Virginia's statewide offices, the House of Delegates, and other United States' offices. Incumbent Republican governor George Allen, was ineligible to run for re-election, as the Constitution of Virginia prohibits its governors from serving consecutive terms. The Republican candidate, Jim Gilmore, the Attorney General of Virginia defeated the Democratic nominee, Don Beyer, the incumbent Lieutenant Governor. Coupled with Republican gains in the House of Delegates in 1999, Republicans won a trifecta in the state for the first time since 1870. As of , this is the last time in which the Republicans won the governorship for two consecutive terms. General election Candidates Don Beyer, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (Democratic) Jim Gilmore, Attorney General of Virginia (Republican) Campaign Gilmore and Beyer were the two most prominent statewide officials for their parties, with Gilmore having been first elected Attorney General in 1993, and Beyer having been first elected in 1989, and re-elected in 1993, the only Democrat to win a statewide contest that year. Consequently, both candidates were seen as their respective party's heir apparent to replace term-limited Governor George Allen. The field was cleared for both candidates, allowing them time to fundraise and begin attacks on one another.Gearan Anne https://books.google.com/books?id=Ay4zAAAAIBAJ&dq=gilmore+beyer+primary&pg=PA5&article_id=5746,1988521 Governor candidates dashing around the state The Free Lance-Star March 11, 1996 A8 en Among the earliest attacks was against Gilmore's hesitancy to resign as Attorney General to campaign for governor. Doing so was seen as tradition, and also as a way to avoid any appearance of impropriety from receiving campaign funds from companies the Attorney General's office might be involved with. Thus, Gilmore's reluctance to resign was the subject of criticism from Beyer.https://books.google.com/books?id=By4zAAAAIBAJ&q=Gilmore&pg=PA11&article_id=7154,3383405#v=onepage Gilmore deciding whether to step down for campaign The Free Lance-Star March 17, 1997 Fredericksburg, Virginia C6 en Ultimately, Gilmore announced his intent to resign on April 3, and his resignation became effective June 11.Anderson Lucia https://books.google.com/books?id=8ekyAAAAIBAJ&dq=gilmore+resigns+attorney+general&pg=PA15&article_id=3051,395562 City visit precedes Gilmore resignation The Free Lance-Star April 3, 1997 Fredericksburg, Virginia C1 en Moreover, Beyer tried to attack Gilmore for his social conservatism. He attacked Gilmore for his stances and comments against abortion, in an attempt to court women voters, with whom he had an advantage.O'Dell Larry https://books.google.com/books?id=nC4zAAAAIBAJ&dq=gilmore+beyer+abortion&pg=PA15&article_id=4413,6761965 Abortion not the issue of choice in '97 The Free Lance-Star October 30, 1997 C10 enAnderson Lucia https://books.google.com/books?id=mi4zAAAAIBAJ&dq=gilmore+beyer&pg=PA76&article_id=4506,6311288 Race dims Beyers style The Free Lance-Star October 27, 1997 A1 en He also attacked Gilmore for his ties to Pat Robertson and the religious right, launching television ads highlighting the fact that Robertson had donated $100,000 to the Gilmore campaign.O'Dell Larry https://books.google.com/books?id=hi4zAAAAIBAJ&dq=gilmore+beyer+pat+robertson&pg=PA15&article_id=6799,353037 Beyer attacks Gilmore's Robertson ties The Free Lance-Star October 2, 1997 Fredericksburg, Virginia C5 en But as the election came closer, Gilmore shifted his campaign's focus against the state's tax on personal vehicles. The tax was strongly disliked by Virginians, per polling by the Gilmore camp, and thus it became a central focus of his campaign.1997 Governor's Race https://www.vpap.org/visuals/visual/1997-governors-race/ 2023-06-16 The Virginia Public Access Project en Beyer attacked the plan to remove the tax as a gimmick and as a fraud that would take away an estimated $1 billion from schools, but nevertheless, put forth a more moderate tax cut of his own, owing to how salient the issue had become.O'Dell Larry https://books.google.com/books?id=mi4zAAAAIBAJ&dq=gilmore+beyer&pg=PA76&article_id=4506,6311288 Beyer attacks Gilmore's car plan as 'gimmick' The Free Lance-Star October 25, 1997 Fredericksburg, Virginia B1 enAllen Mike 1997-11-02 CAR-TAX ISSUE DRIVES GILMORE'S CAMPAIGN WHILE BEYER'S STALLS en-US The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1997/11/02/car-tax-issue-drives-gilmores-campaign-while-beyers-stalls/67a7b1de-64d5-4410-93bb-698de6cedc42/ 2023-06-16 0190-8286 Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin oferror DonBeyer (D) JimGilmore (R) Other UndecidedThe Washington PostWashington Post October 19–21, 1997 1,005 ± 3.0% 41% 48% 4% 11%The Washington PostWashington Post September 12–16, 1997 808 ± 3.5% 44% 43% 4% 9% Debates + 1997 Virginia gubernatorial debates No. Number Date Host Moderator Link Republican DemocraticKey:black #90ff90  P  Participant  black #FFFFDD  A  Absent  black #ff9090  N  Not invited  black #CCFFCC  I  Invited #f0e68c W Withdrawn Jim Gilmore Don Beyer1 Oct. 6, 1997 Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginia Public Television L. Douglas Wilder C-SPAN P P2 Oct. 15, 1997 Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce Judy Woodruff C-SPAN P P Results Virginia gubernatorial election, 1997https://historical.elections.virginia.gov/elections/view/34784/ Virginia Elections Database - 1997 Governor General Election Virginia Department of Elections October 31, 2019 Republican Party (United States) Jim Gilmore 969,062 55.81% -2.46% Democratic Party (United States) Don Beyer 738,971 42.56% +1.67% Reform Party (United States) Sue Harris DeBauche 25,955 1.49% Write-ins 2,326 0.13% 230,091 13.25% -4.13% 1,736,314 Republican Party (United States) Results by county and city County Gilmore Votes Beyer Votes DeBauche Votes Others VotesAccomack 62.3% 4,529 34.5% 2,511 3.2% 234 0.0% 0Albemarle 54.4% 13,287 44.2% 10,784 1.3% 319 0.1% 26Alexandria 37.6% 11,115 61.4% 18,144 0.8% 251 0.1% 31Alleghany 56.8% 2,337 41.5% 1,708 1.7% 72 0.0% 0Amelia 62.3% 1,947 35.3% 1,101 2.4% 75 0.0% 0Amherst 56.4% 4,571 42.0% 3,400 1.6% 131 0.0% 0Appomattox 55.0% 2,177 43.1% 1,707 1.9% 76 0.0% 0Arlington 36.8% 18,252 62.0% 30,736 1.1% 568 0.0% 24Augusta 71.8% 11,789 26.9% 4,416 1.3% 214 0.0% 0Bath 54.6% 807 42.8% 632 2.6% 38 0.1% 1Bedford County 66.2% 10,989 31.9% 5,300 1.8% 304 0.0% 0Bedford 50.2% 833 47.2% 784 2.6% 44 0.0% 0Bland 66.3% 1,180 31.7% 564 2.0% 35 0.0% 0Botetourt 66.0% 6,378 32.5% 3,136 1.5% 148 0.0% 0Bristol 58.8% 2,172 40.6% 1,499 0.6% 21 0.1% 3Brunswick 45.5% 1,946 51.9% 2,220 2.6% 113 0.0% 0Buchanan 47.5% 2,941 50.4% 3,120 2.1% 129 0.0% 1Buckingham 52.4% 1,799 45.1% 1,548 2.6% 89 0.0% 0Buena Vista 57.0% 846 42.0% 623 1.0% 15 0.0% 0Campbell 65.0% 9,230 33.4% 4,744 1.5% 216 0.0% 2Caroline 47.7% 2,600 50.1% 2,731 2.1% 115 0.0% 0Carroll 66.4% 4,549 31.2% 2,136 2.4% 164 0.0% 1Charles City 35.5% 743 62.6% 1,311 1.9% 40 0.0% 0Charlotte 61.4% 2,184 36.1% 1,285 2.5% 88 0.0% 0Charlottesville 37.7% 3,354 60.2% 5,352 1.6% 142 0.5% 44Chesapeake 57.0% 25,636 41.2% 18,509 1.3% 571 0.5% 221Chesterfield 67.2% 46,779 31.1% 21,621 1.1% 779 0.6% 394Clarke 56.3% 1,800 42.1% 1,347 1.6% 50 0.0% 0Clifton Forge 43.5% 589 54.9% 744 1.6% 21 0.0% 0Colonial Heights 75.1% 4,622 23.5% 1,446 1.3% 83 0.1% 7Covington 47.0% 857 51.3% 935 1.6% 30 0.1% 1Craig 59.8% 1,180 37.3% 736 2.8% 56 0.0% 0Culpeper 64.5% 5,095 34.3% 2,708 1.2% 97 0.0% 1Cumberland 62.1% 1,549 35.9% 896 2.0% 50 0.0% 0Danville 59.1% 7,165 39.8% 4,828 1.1% 134 0.0% 0Dickenson 48.5% 2,326 49.6% 2,379 2.0% 94 0.0% 0Dinwiddie 58.6% 3,554 38.3% 2,321 3.1% 190 0.0% 0Emporia 57.5% 855 38.5% 573 4.0% 60 0.0% 0Essex 56.8% 1,499 40.9% 1,079 2.3% 62 0.0% 0Fairfax County 52.5% 129,038 46.7% 114,697 0.8% 1,922 0.0% 121Fairfax 52.5% 3,451 46.4% 3,047 1.0% 66 0.1% 4Falls Church 34.2% 1,396 65.1% 2,655 0.6% 26 0.0% 2Fauquier 65.2% 9,293 33.6% 4,792 1.1% 160 0.1% 14Floyd 61.0% 2,288 36.0% 1,350 3.0% 111 0.0% 0Fluvanna 64.0% 3,337 34.3% 1,790 1.6% 84 0.0% 1Franklin County 58.5% 7,134 39.0% 4,760 2.5% 299 0.0% 0Franklin 47.3% 1,134 50.3% 1,207 2.5% 59 0.0% 0Frederick 68.8% 9,672 30.2% 4,246 1.0% 146 0.0% 0Fredericksburg 44.1% 1,952 54.0% 2,394 1.5% 66 0.4% 19Galax 58.4% 853 40.2% 588 1.4% 20 0.0% 0Giles 55.9% 2,582 42.3% 1,951 1.8% 83 0.0% 1Gloucester 62.3% 5,513 34.8% 3,074 2.9% 255 0.0% 1Goochland 60.8% 3,929 37.1% 2,395 2.1% 136 0.0% 0Grayson 60.6% 2,803 36.7% 1,696 2.7% 125 0.0% 0Greene 68.9% 2,233 28.7% 930 2.3% 75 0.1% 2Greensville 44.0% 1,201 54.4% 1,483 1.6% 43 0.0% 0Halifax 62.0% 5,756 35.8% 3,328 2.2% 206 0.0% 0Hampton 47.1% 15,432 51.5% 16,850 1.3% 435 0.1% 28Hanover 70.5% 19,187 28.2% 7,679 1.3% 354 0.0% 7Harrisonburg 60.3% 3,793 38.6% 2,429 1.0% 66 0.0% 1Henrico 59.2% 46,367 39.1% 30,661 1.2% 912 0.5% 424Henry 54.4% 8,014 42.3% 6,233 3.2% 477 0.0% 0Highland 64.9% 630 33.4% 324 1.6% 16 0.0% 0Hopewell 63.0% 3,100 35.0% 1,723 2.0% 97 0.0% 1Isle of Wight 56.9% 4,647 41.8% 3,411 1.2% 100 0.1% 9James City 58.3% 8,984 40.4% 6,218 1.2% 180 0.1% 16King and Queen 49.8% 1,032 47.7% 988 2.5% 51 0.0% 0King George 56.9% 2,063 41.4% 1,502 1.5% 55 0.1% 5King William 60.4% 2,277 38.0% 1,430 1.6% 59 0.1% 2Lancaster 62.0% 2,523 36.0% 1,464 1.8% 74 0.1% 6Lee 60.1% 4,460 36.1% 2,676 3.8% 282 0.0% 0Lexington 46.0% 703 52.8% 808 1.1% 17 0.1% 1Loudoun 59.7% 20,997 39.0% 13,697 1.2% 407 0.1% 44Louisa 56.0% 3,832 41.0% 2,806 2.9% 200 0.0% 0Lunenburg 58.8% 2,230 39.6% 1,502 1.5% 58 0.0% 0Lynchburg 55.5% 9,724 43.6% 7,634 0.8% 144 0.1% 15Madison 63.1% 2,386 34.7% 1,312 2.2% 84 0.0% 0Manassas 61.3% 4,277 37.4% 2,611 1.2% 87 0.0% 1Manassas Park 70.1% 754 28.1% 302 1.8% 19 0.0% 0Martinsville 46.7% 2,206 50.4% 2,377 2.8% 133 0.1% 3Mathews 61.9% 2,184 35.0% 1,236 3.1% 110 0.0% 1Mecklenburg 61.7% 4,226 35.1% 2,408 3.2% 217 0.0% 0Middlesex 59.9% 2,279 36.8% 1,401 3.2% 122 0.0% 0Montgomery 53.5% 9,445 44.7% 7,882 1.7% 308 0.0% 3Nelson 47.5% 2,014 49.9% 2,113 2.6% 110 0.0% 1New Kent 62.7% 2,856 35.1% 1,599 1.7% 78 0.5% 21Newport News 52.7% 20,033 45.4% 17,237 1.9% 732 0.0% 4Norfolk 40.1% 17,101 57.9% 24,679 1.7% 736 0.3% 126Northampton 48.9% 1,755 48.7% 1,747 2.3% 84 0.1% 4Northumberland 63.1% 2,409 35.0% 1,337 1.6% 62 0.2% 7Norton 44.3% 647 53.2% 777 2.5% 36 0.0% 0Nottoway 54.8% 2,201 43.7% 1,754 1.5% 60 0.0% 0Orange 61.8% 4,124 36.6% 2,443 1.7% 111 0.0% 0Page 62.3% 3,220 36.6% 1,890 0.7% 38 0.4% 19Patrick 60.2% 2,726 37.1% 1,679 2.7% 123 0.0% 0Petersburg 30.3% 2,460 67.4% 5,475 2.4% 192 0.0% 1Pittsylvania 67.8% 10,445 30.6% 4,720 1.6% 243 0.0% 2Poquoson 70.5% 2,592 28.6% 1,053 0.8% 31 0.1% 3Portsmouth 41.5% 10,641 57.0% 14,613 1.4% 363 0.1% 32Powhatan 71.4% 4,186 26.7% 1,567 1.9% 109 0.0% 0Prince Edward 52.1% 2,476 46.0% 2,186 1.8% 86 0.0% 0Prince George 65.1% 4,461 33.6% 2,305 1.2% 79 0.1% 7Prince William 63.1% 32,049 35.6% 18,110 1.3% 651 0.0% 10Pulaski 58.4% 5,162 39.8% 3,522 1.8% 159 0.0% 3Radford 49.0% 1,466 49.2% 1,471 1.7% 52 0.1% 2Rappahannock 56.2% 1,301 42.4% 982 1.3% 30 0.1% 2Richmond County 63.3% 1,211 34.0% 651 2.6% 50 0.0% 0Richmond 35.7% 17,544 62.3% 30,643 2.0% 967 0.0% 17Roanoke County 62.5% 18,384 36.0% 10,576 1.5% 439 0.0% 4Roanoke 48.3% 11,628 49.2% 11,857 2.5% 598 0.0% 5Rockbridge 62.4% 3,339 36.2% 1,937 1.5% 78 0.0% 1Rockingham 73.1% 12,074 25.6% 4,224 1.3% 214 0.0% 3Russell 49.1% 3,675 49.2% 3,687 1.7% 125 0.0% 0Salem 59.1% 4,445 39.0% 2,934 1.8% 139 0.0% 0Scott 64.7% 4,050 33.3% 2,087 2.0% 125 0.0% 0Shenandoah 71.2% 7,069 27.4% 2,718 1.2% 122 0.1% 14Smyth 59.3% 5,366 38.8% 3,510 1.9% 175 0.0% 0Southampton 51.0% 2,345 45.8% 2,105 3.3% 151 0.0% 0Spotsylvania 60.1% 10,747 38.4% 6,872 1.5% 276 0.0% 1Stafford 60.2% 11,416 38.1% 7,224 1.6% 295 0.1% 18Staunton 60.3% 3,707 38.3% 2,352 1.4% 85 0.0% 0Suffolk 53.8% 8,398 44.6% 6,959 1.6% 257 0.0% 3Surry 42.5% 944 55.3% 1,229 2.2% 50 0.0% 0Sussex 46.3% 1,371 51.1% 1,512 2.6% 77 0.0% 0Tazewell 55.4% 5,515 42.6% 4,235 2.0% 194 0.0% 3Virginia Beach 59.1% 51,945 38.7% 34,036 1.7% 1,511 0.5% 475Warren 60.5% 4,139 38.4% 2,628 1.0% 70 0.1% 4Washington 60.3% 7,528 38.1% 4,761 1.6% 198 0.1% 7Waynesboro 63.6% 3,188 35.1% 1,758 1.3% 67 0.0% 2Westmoreland 53.4% 2,148 44.8% 1,801 1.8% 74 0.0% 0Williamsburg 44.7% 1,206 53.8% 1,451 1.4% 39 0.0% 0Winchester 58.7% 3,114 40.2% 2,131 1.1% 59 0.0% 0Wise 52.2% 4,834 46.3% 4,292 1.5% 142 0.0% 0Wythe 62.1% 4,401 35.5% 2,512 2.1% 149 0.3% 22York 62.9% 9,628 35.7% 5,469 1.3% 200 0.1% 14 Counties and independent cities that flipped from Republican to Democratic Buchanan Caroline Clifton Forge (independent city) Covington Dickenson (independent city) Fredericksburg (independent city) Franklin Hampton (independent city) Lexington (independent city) Nelson Radford (Independent city) Norton (independent city) Russell Analysis The election was hard-fought and a dead heat, with polls from the summer into September showing little movement between either candidate.https://books.google.com/books?id=d_EyAAAAIBAJ&dq=gilmore+beyer&pg=PA12&article_id=4956,3148265 Poll shows Beyer, Gilmore in dead heat for governor The Free Lance-Star September 16, 1997 C8 en It was not until the final weeks that polls showed movement towards Gilmore, who ultimately won the race.AllPolitics - Gilmore Takes Virginia Governor's Race - Nov. 4, 1997 https://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/11/04/va.gov/ 2023-06-16 www.cnn.com Gilmore's opposition to the car tax was a major factor in his victory, and polls showed this was a factor in his support.Terrell Gaynell https://books.google.com/books?id=my4zAAAAIBAJ&dq=gilmore+beyer+education&pg=PA13&article_id=6893,6514087 Poll credits Gilmore's tax-cut plan The Free Lance-Star October 29, 1997 Fredericksburg, Virginia C3 en His win was also in part due to his strength in rural and suburban areas, while performing relatively well in more populated urban areas. His victory also helped to flip the Lieutenant Governor's race and hold the Attorney General's race for Republicans. This was the first time a sweep of the three statewide offices had occurred since Reconstruction.GOVERNOR: GILMORE'S CAR-TAX PLAN WINS VOTERS; NOW HE MUST WOO ASSEMBLY GILMORE CARRIES ALL MAJOR AREAS OF THE STATE https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1997/vp971105/11050563.htm 2023-06-16 scholar.lib.vt.edu Beyer also was seen by some as having run an underwhelming campaign, and struggled in many respects. As taxes grew to become a major issue, Beyer's attacks on Gilmore's abortion stance seemed to become secondary, and failed to move support away from Gilmore. Moreover, his shift on the tax issue from opposition to proposing a tax cut of his own drew criticism from Gilmore.https://books.google.com/books?id=9ekyAAAAIBAJ&dq=gilmore+beyer+taxes&pg=PA14&article_id=3665,1721357 Beyer joins Gilmore in rejecting new taxes The Free Lance-Star April 9, 1997 Fredericksburg, Virginia C10 en Beyer also was unable to secure the endorsement of former Governor L. Douglas Wilder, which was seen by many as a rebuke towards his campaign, and was believed to hurt his ability to mobilize Black voters.O'Dell Larry https://books.google.com/books?id=li4zAAAAIBAJ&dq=gilmore+beyer+wilder&pg=PA8&article_id=6624,4857446 Wilder won't endorse either candidate The Free Lance-Star October 21, 1997 Fredericksburg, Virginia C1 en After the election, Beyer would stay out of elected office, until making a political comeback, going on to represent Virginia's 8th Congressional District in Congress, being first elected in 2014. References Gubernatorial 1997 Virginia Category:November 1997 in the United States