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United States · Election results history · 1997
Election 1997 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.

1997 governor election results by state and county

Republicans won both governor races in 1997, as Christine Todd Whitman narrowly held New Jersey and James S. Gilmore III won Virginia on a promise to cut the car tax.

2 governor races were held in 1997. Democrats won 0 and Republicans 2.

The closest were New Jersey (R+1.1) and Virginia (R+13.3).

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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.

About the 1997 governor elections

New Jersey and Virginia voted for governor in 1997, in the first year of Bill Clinton's second term, with the economy strong. In New Jersey, Republican Governor Christine Todd Whitman won a second term over Democratic state Senator James McGreevey by about a point. McGreevey came close largely on complaints about high car insurance rates, and he won the governorship four years later. In Virginia, Republican James S. Gilmore III, the state attorney general, defeated Democratic Lieutenant Governor Donald S. Beyer Jr. by about 13 points. Gilmore's main promise was to phase out the personal property tax on cars, a pledge that proved popular. His win gave Virginia Republicans a second straight governorship after George Allen. Neither state changed party.

Every race

StateDemocratVotesRepublicanVotesOthersMargin
New Jersey James McGreevey1,107,968 (45.8%) Christine T. Whitman1,133,394 (46.9%) 176,982 R+1.1
Virginia Don Beyer738,971 (42.6%) Jim Gilmore969,062 (55.8%) 28,281 R+13.3

Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Margins are Democrat minus Republican, of all votes. Certified results, from the states' own archives, the MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Heideman (2026) and Algara & Amlani (2021). How these results were checked.

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