For related races, see 1973 United States gubernatorial elections.
In the 1973 Virginia gubernatorial election, incumbent Governor A. Linwood Holton, Jr., a Republican, was unable to seek re-election due to term limits. Mills E. Godwin, Jr., former Democratic Governor of Virginia, was nominated by the Republican Party to run against Independent Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Henry Howell. The Democrats did not field a candidate, mostly choosing to support Howell's candidacy.
This was the last time until 2013 in which a member of the incumbent President's party was elected Governor of Virginia. It was also the last time a non-Democrat won the city of Alexandria.
General election
Candidates
- Mills E. Godwin, Jr., former Governor of Virginia (Republican)
- Henry Howell, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and candidate for Governor in 1969 (Independent)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mills Godwin | 525,075 | 50.71% |  1.80
| |
| Independent | Henry Howell | 510,103 | 49.26% | N/A | |
| Write-ins | 317 | 0.03% | |||
| Majority | 14,972 | 1.45% | −5.67% | ||
| Turnout | 1,035,495 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
References
| U.S. House |
|
|---|---|
| State governors | |
| State legislatures | |
| Mayors | |
* Third party is endorsed by a major party | |
| Presidential | |
| Senatorial (since 1940) |
|
| Gubernatorial (since 1940) |
|
| Territorial Governors (since 1970) |
|
| State legislative | |