United States · Election results history · 1985 governors · Virginia

Election 1985 Results

Each election opens in its own mode: the forecast before the votes are counted, the live count while races are still too close to call, and the results once every race is decided.

1985 Virginia governor election

Gerald L. Baliles (Democrat) beat Wyatt B. Durrette (Republican) in Virginia in 1985, 55.2% to 44.8%, a margin of 10.4 points and 139,789 votes.

The Democratic hold continued from 1981, when Charles S. Robb won.

Democrats led in 102 of the 136 counties as they stood then and Republicans in 34. The largest, Fairfax, cast 158,206 votes and went to the Democrat by 10.7 points. The closest was Fauquier, where 7 votes separated the two parties.

United States

Results

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If only voted How this works

If the polls miss like

Or set the national mood Turnout

Early projection, based on early and incomplete polling: the likely matchups, each weighted by the betting markets' odds of both nominations, not a result. Each county is its 2024 presidential margin moved by its state's projected swing; set a national vote and every state, district and county moves by the same amount from our projection. Colours run in 100 steps from a safe Republican to a safe Democratic margin. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

Governor

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share
Gerald L. Baliles won	Democratic	741,438	55.2%
Wyatt B. Durrette	Republican	601,649	44.8%
All other candidates		153	0.0%
Total		1,343,240

Every county

County	Democrat	Republican	Others	Total	Margin
Fairfax	87,542 55.3%	70,656 44.7%	8	158,206	D+10.7
Richmond	42,953 67.2%	20,904 32.7%	22	63,879	D+34.5
Virginia Beach	29,967 49.0%	31,144 51.0%	5	61,116	R+1.9
Henrico	27,424 45.2%	33,218 54.7%	32	60,674	R+9.5
Chesterfield	18,850 38.9%	29,540 61.0%	16	48,406	R+22.1
Norfolk	30,857 67.8%	14,652 32.2%	8	45,517	D+35.6
Arlington	26,436 65.2%	14,124 34.8%	7	40,567	D+30.3
Newport News	19,429 57.4%	14,433 42.6%	7	33,869	D+14.8
Portsmouth	19,098 67.8%	9,059 32.2%	3	28,160	D+35.6
Chesapeake	16,495 59.2%	11,364 40.8%	1	27,860	D+18.4
Hampton	16,634 60.9%	10,671 39.1%	1	27,306	D+21.8
Prince William	13,499 55.3%	10,909 44.7%	4	24,412	D+10.6
Alexandria	15,506 65.1%	8,304 34.9%	3	23,813	D+30.2
Roanoke	13,380 64.8%	7,272 35.2%	2	20,654	D+29.6
Roanoke	10,710 53.4%	9,332 46.6%	1	20,043	D+6.9
Hanover	6,535 37.8%	10,726 62.1%	5	17,266	R+24.3
Lynchburg	8,389 48.8%	8,784 51.2%		17,173	R+2.3
Pittsylvania	6,886 46.2%	8,014 53.8%		14,900	R+7.6
Loudoun	7,925 53.8%	6,802 46.2%	1	14,728	D+7.6
Henry	9,184 62.8%	5,437 37.2%		14,621	D+25.6
Albemarle	7,528 55.3%	6,096 44.7%	1	13,625	D+10.5
Montgomery	7,702 57.0%	5,801 43.0%	1	13,504	D+14.1
Suffolk	7,937 61.2%	5,037 38.8%		12,974	D+22.4
Augusta	4,936 42.2%	6,771 57.8%		11,707	R+15.7
Danville	4,718 41.9%	6,548 58.1%	1	11,267	R+16.2
Petersburg	7,556 67.7%	3,604 32.3%		11,160	D+35.4
Campbell	4,932 45.9%	5,808 54.1%		10,740	R+8.2
Washington	5,691 53.6%	4,936 46.4%		10,627	D+7.1
Rockingham	4,229 41.7%	5,904 58.3%		10,133	R+16.5
Stafford	5,078 50.5%	4,980 49.5%	2	10,060	D+1.0
Wise	6,445 65.6%	3,384 34.4%		9,829	D+31.1
Bedford	5,070 51.9%	4,692 48.1%	1	9,763	D+3.9
York	4,536 48.6%	4,795 51.4%	2	9,333	R+2.8
Accomack	4,476 49.3%	4,596 50.7%		9,072	R+1.3
Pulaski	5,380 59.7%	3,626 40.3%		9,006	D+19.5
Charlottesville	5,715 66.0%	2,941 34.0%	1	8,657	D+32.0
Smyth	4,426 52.6%	3,996 47.4%		8,422	D+5.1
Fauquier	4,175 50.0%	4,168 49.9%	2	8,345	D+0.1
Tazewell	4,722 59.0%	3,285 41.0%		8,007	D+17.9
Franklin	4,826 62.1%	2,950 37.9%	1	7,777	D+24.1
Spotsylvania	4,146 54.6%	3,446 45.4%		7,592	D+9.2
Halifax	3,778 50.7%	3,670 49.3%		7,448	D+1.5
Shenandoah	3,138 42.2%	4,305 57.8%		7,443	R+15.7
Amherst	4,001 53.8%	3,438 46.2%		7,439	D+7.6
Russell	4,622 64.5%	2,541 35.5%		7,163	D+29.1
Frederick	3,475 50.1%	3,455 49.9%		6,930	D+0.3
James City	3,621 53.1%	3,193 46.9%		6,814	D+6.3
Gloucester	3,418 50.2%	3,394 49.8%		6,812	D+0.4
Wythe	3,597 53.0%	3,186 47.0%		6,783	D+6.1
Buchanan	4,390 65.8%	2,277 34.2%		6,667	D+31.7
Isle Of Wight	3,761 57.2%	2,817 42.8%		6,578	D+14.4
Mecklenburg	3,195 48.7%	3,365 51.3%		6,560	R+2.6
Lee	3,984 62.4%	2,398 37.6%		6,382	D+24.9
Scott	3,453 54.3%	2,909 45.7%		6,362	D+8.6
Hopewell	2,999 48.6%	3,173 51.4%	1	6,173	R+2.8
Staunton	2,729 45.3%	3,299 54.7%		6,028	R+9.5
Carroll	2,687 45.1%	3,276 54.9%		5,963	R+9.9
Dinwiddie	3,310 58.2%	2,372 41.7%	1	5,683	D+16.5
Salem	3,082 55.3%	2,493 44.7%	1	5,576	D+10.6
Colonial Hts.	1,950 36.2%	3,437 63.8%	1	5,388	R+27.6
Dickenson	3,325 61.8%	2,054 38.2%		5,379	D+23.6
Martinsville	3,220 60.9%	2,068 39.1%		5,288	D+21.8
Southampton	2,721 51.6%	2,557 48.4%		5,278	D+3.1
Fairfax	2,577 50.4%	2,538 49.6%		5,115	D+0.8
Culpeper	2,455 48.4%	2,619 51.6%		5,074	R+3.2
Prince George	2,400 48.3%	2,568 51.7%		4,968	R+3.4
Louisa	2,856 57.6%	2,104 42.4%	2	4,962	D+15.2
Prince Edward	2,736 56.1%	2,140 43.9%	2	4,878	D+12.2
Harrisonburg	2,298 47.4%	2,553 52.6%	1	4,852	R+5.3
Bristol	2,734 56.8%	2,082 43.2%		4,816	D+13.5
Patrick	3,249 70.4%	1,364 29.6%		4,613	D+40.9
Giles	2,650 57.7%	1,944 42.3%		4,594	D+15.4
Botetourt	2,528 55.2%	2,051 44.8%	1	4,580	D+10.4
Winchester	2,443 53.3%	2,137 46.7%		4,580	D+6.7
Grayson	2,448 53.6%	2,121 46.4%		4,569	D+7.2
Appomattox	2,623 58.4%	1,872 41.6%		4,495	D+16.7
Caroline	2,836 64.2%	1,583 35.8%		4,419	D+28.4
Brunswick	2,760 62.7%	1,639 37.3%		4,399	D+25.5
Page	2,330 53.4%	2,037 46.6%		4,367	D+6.7
Orange	2,243 51.4%	2,117 48.6%		4,360	D+2.9
Goochland	2,224 51.8%	2,072 48.2%		4,296	D+3.5
Nottoway	2,269 53.2%	1,993 46.8%		4,262	D+6.5
Waynesboro	2,217 53.3%	1,945 46.7%		4,162	D+6.5
Warren	2,327 56.2%	1,811 43.8%		4,138	D+12.5
Fredericksburg	2,186 54.5%	1,827 45.5%	1	4,014	D+8.9
Northampton	2,375 60.7%	1,539 39.3%		3,914	D+21.4
Lancaster	1,708 44.2%	2,159 55.8%		3,867	R+11.7
Powhatan	1,498 39.7%	2,273 60.3%		3,771	R+20.6
Northumberland	1,657 45.1%	2,015 54.9%		3,672	R+9.7
Buckingham	2,075 57.4%	1,542 42.6%		3,617	D+14.7
Rockbridge	1,878 52.9%	1,672 47.1%	2	3,552	D+5.8
Charlotte	1,923 54.2%	1,627 45.8%		3,550	D+8.3
Westmoreland	1,972 57.1%	1,484 42.9%		3,456	D+14.1
Sussex	2,066 61.2%	1,311 38.8%		3,377	D+22.4
Radford	1,977 59.2%	1,363 40.8%		3,340	D+18.4
Lunenburg	1,804 56.9%	1,369 43.1%		3,173	D+13.7
Greensville	1,997 63.0%	1,171 37.0%		3,168	D+26.1
Manassas	1,534 48.5%	1,626 51.5%		3,160	R+2.9
Floyd	1,522 49.3%	1,566 50.7%		3,088	R+1.4
Nelson	2,043 66.2%	1,043 33.8%		3,086	D+32.4
King William	1,532 50.6%	1,494 49.4%		3,026	D+1.3
Falls Church	1,816 60.1%	1,206 39.9%	1	3,023	D+20.2
Amelia	1,522 50.5%	1,490 49.5%		3,012	D+1.1
Madison	1,538 52.6%	1,385 47.4%		2,923	D+5.2
Middlesex	1,500 51.4%	1,421 48.6%		2,921	D+2.7
Poquoson	1,154 39.7%	1,750 60.3%		2,904	R+20.5
Alleghany	1,791 61.7%	1,111 38.3%		2,902	D+23.4
New Kent	1,436 49.8%	1,447 50.2%		2,883	R+0.4
Mathews	1,298 47.1%	1,460 52.9%		2,758	R+5.9
Cumberland	1,355 49.5%	1,380 50.5%		2,735	R+0.9
Essex	1,224 49.1%	1,270 50.9%		2,494	R+1.8
Covington	1,625 67.2%	792 32.8%		2,417	D+34.5
Fluvanna	1,260 53.2%	1,109 46.8%		2,369	D+6.4
King George	1,271 56.4%	984 43.6%		2,255	D+12.7
Franklin	1,307 59.4%	893 40.6%		2,200	D+18.8
Williamsburg	1,284 58.7%	902 41.3%		2,186	D+17.5
Surry	1,405 65.4%	742 34.6%		2,147	D+30.9
Clarke	1,166 55.2%	948 44.8%		2,114	D+10.3
Richmond	929 46.2%	1,084 53.8%		2,013	R+7.7
South Boston	890 44.3%	1,121 55.7%		2,011	R+11.5
Bedford	1,171 59.5%	797 40.5%		1,968	D+19.0
Galax	1,087 56.0%	854 44.0%		1,941	D+12.0
Charles City	1,487 77.5%	432 22.5%		1,919	D+55.0
King And Queen	1,138 60.9%	730 39.1%		1,868	D+21.8
Buena Vista	1,041 59.5%	708 40.5%		1,749	D+19.0
Greene	700 41.2%	1,000 58.8%	1	1,701	R+17.6
Bland	874 51.7%	816 48.3%		1,690	D+3.4
Rappahannock	930 55.6%	743 44.4%		1,673	D+11.2
Craig	909 55.2%	737 44.8%		1,646	D+10.4
Lexington	883 54.9%	726 45.1%		1,609	D+9.8
Emporia	779 51.0%	748 49.0%		1,527	D+2.0
Norton	945 70.2%	401 29.8%		1,346	D+40.4
Clifton Forge	815 67.1%	399 32.9%		1,214	D+34.3
Bath	685 57.7%	502 42.3%		1,187	D+15.4
Highland	437 50.7%	425 49.3%		862	D+1.4
Manassas Park	457 54.7%	379 45.3%		836	D+9.3

Counties as they stood in 1985; some have since been split, merged or renamed. Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Sources and how the results were checked.

Virginia governor elections we hold

Year	Winner	Margin
2025	Abigail Spanberger (D)	D+15.4
2021	Glenn Allen Youngkin (R)	R+1.9
2017	Ralph Shearer Northam (D)	D+8.9
2013	Terry McAuliffe (D)	D+2.5
2009	Robert F. McDonnell (R)	R+17.4
2005	T. M. Kaine (D)	D+5.7
2001	M. R. Warner (D)	D+5.1
1997	Jim Gilmore (R)	R+13.3
1993	George F. Allen (R)	R+17.4
1989	L. Douglas Wilder (D)	D+0.4
1985	Gerald L. Baliles (D)	D+10.4
1981	Charles S. Robb (D)	D+7.1
1977	John N. Dalton (R)	R+12.6
1973	Mills Godwin (R)	R+50.7
1969	Linwood Holton (R)	R+7.1
1965	Mills E. Godwin Jr. (D)	D+10.2
1961	Albertis S. Harrison Jr. (D)	D+27.7
1957	J. Lindsay Almond (D)	D+26.7
1953	Thomas B. Stanley (D)	D+10.5
1949	John S. Battle (D)	D+43.0
1945	William M. Tuck (D)	D+35.5
1941	Colgate Darden (D)	D+62.7
1937	James H. Price (D)	D+67.0
1933	George C. Peery (D)	D+49.5
1929	John Garland Pollard (D)	D+25.8
1925	Harry F. Byrd (D)	D+48.1
1921	Elbert Lee Trinkle (D)	D+34.9
1917	Westmoreland Davis (D)	D+43.7
1913	Henry Carter Stuart (D)	D+91.9
1909	William Hodges Mann (D)	D+27.1
1905	Claude A. Swanson (D)	D+29.3
1901	Andrew Jackson Montague (D)	D+17.6
1897	James Hoge Tyler (D)	D+31.4
1893	Charles T. O'Ferrall (D)	D+59.7
1889	Philip W. McKinney (D)	D+14.7
1885	Fitzhugh Lee (D)	D+5.5
1881	William E. Cameron (other)
1877	Frederick W.M. Holliday (D)	D+95.9
1873	James L. Kemper (D)	D+12.3
1869	Gilbert Carlton Walker (R)	R+54.2

1985 Virginia governor election

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