THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA VOL. 50, NO. 12 VIRGINIA POLITICS IN 1973: THE STATE ELECTIONS By LARRY J. SABATO The author is a Research Aide in the in this century. Despite the Republican The closeness of the gubernatorial Institute of Government. This article is drawn trend at the statewide level, the most election was reflected in almost every from his forthcoming monograph on the 1973 impressive and lopsided victory of all statistic. Howell carried forty-six state elections. was won by the Democratic cand idate counties and Godwin carried forty-nine. Only a decade ago predictability was for attorney general. And the GOP lost Howell won nineteen independent cities a political hallmark of the Old five House of Delegates seats, retaining and Godwin won twenty. The vote Dominion. But urban growth, abolition only twenty of the hundred seats in the spread between Godwin and Howell was of the poll tax, extension of the lower house. Further, Independent un u su a II y slim in most localities. franchise, legislative reapportionment, candidacies flourished. The Independent Godwin's greatest strength was the and a host of other facto rs have candidate for governor received sl ightly Richmond area Third Congressional permanently changed Virginia's political over 49 percent of the vote, and the District and the Danville area Fifth map. Ample evidence of the changes number of Independents elected to the District. He also carried the traditionally which have occurred can be found in House of Delegates (fifteen) approached Republican Sixth and Seventh districts the 1973 elections for governor, the House strength of the Republican in Virginia's heartland, and eked out a lieutenant governor, and attorney party. In spite of this crazy-qu iIt pattern, slim majority in the Northern Virginia general. the 1973 gu bernatorial election has hel ped Eighth and Tenth districts.' Howell, as Confusing contradictions make any to reorder pol itics in the Commonwealth expected, carried his home area handily, analysis of Virginia politics a hazardous and has provided significant impetus for and his margins in the First, Second, task. At the ou_tse~ of the g~_bernatorial the development of a more stable political and Fourth districts-all in close election, for instance, the environment in the future. proximity to Tidewater-more than Commonwealth was represented on the matched his disastrous deficit in the statewid e Ieve I by aRepu b Ii ca n VOTING RESULTS Richmond area. Howell's strength in the governor, an Independent lieutenant E Ie ction day brought a narrow far Southwest Ninth District was not governor, and a Democratic attorney victory to Mills Godwin and the surprising, despite his poor performance general. Despite a strong Democratic Republican party. Out of 1,035,495 there in his previous statewide races. party tradition, the Virginia votes cast, Godwin received 50.7 percent Several factors account for the switch: congressional delegation consisted of to 49.3 percent for Independent Henry Howell had the endorsement of the eight Republicans, three Democrats, and Howell. In the lieutenant governor's United Mine Workers union, the one Independent. race, Republican John Dalton easily endorsement of many local Democratic The setting and results of the 1973 defeated his two opponents, taking officials, and a very effective sales tax gubernatorial election, on their surface, almost 54 percent of the vote, compared issue in an economically depressed area. appear equally confusing and to 35.5 percent for Democratic nominee His ear Iy and v igo ro us pe rso naI contradictory. For the first time in the J. Harry Michael. The remaining 10.5 campaigning in the area had also made a history of the modern Democratic party percent of the vote was polled by definite impact. in Virginia, there was no Dem'ocratic Independent Flora Crater, a surprisingly Finally, Howell's vote total and nominee for governor; yet both strong showing in view of her percent in the Sixth and Seventh gubernatorial candidates were Democrats Independent status and lack of campaign congressional districts were considerably for most of their political careers. The funds. higher than those of other first governor elected twice by the Fin a II y , incu m be nt Democratic non-Republican candidates in th~ past people was elected as a Democrat for his Attorney General Andrew P. Miller decade. Several rock-ribbed Republican first term and Republican for his swamped Republican challenger M. counties in the V.alley of Virginia and second. Republicans elected their first Patton Echols with almost 71 percent of m 0 u n t a in 0 u s per ip hery return ed lieutenant governor and second governor the vote (See Table 1). substantial, majorities for Howell, INSTITUTE OF GOVERNMENT / UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA / CHARLOTTESVILLE /AUGUST 1974. 46 was the Virginia Women's Political TABLE 1 Caucus, and her loose-knit volunteer Voting In The General Elections For State Officers In Virginia, 1973 organization tended to be enthusiastic and hard working, if politically naive. Number of Votes Percent Despite a paucity of campaign funds, Governor Mrs. Crater travelled widely, and her Mills E. Godwin, Jr. (Rep.) 525,075 50.7 candor and sincerity-as well as her Henry Howell (I nd.) 510,103 49.3 positions on controversial issues-caught Others 317 ------ ------ the eye of the press and, consequently, Totals 1,035,495 100.00 the public. In addition to these factors which help to explain the Crater vote Lieutenant Governor !he newlv acquired "status" of th~ John N. Dalton (Rep.) 505,729 54.0 J. Harry Michael, Jr. (Dem.) 332,990 35.5 Independent must be added. After two Flora Crater (Ind.) 98,508 10.5 successful Independent candidacies at Others 43 the statewide level, and dozens of ------ ------ victorious races by Independents at the Totals 937,270 100.00 local level, the Independent stance seems A ttorney General ~o .h~ve a special attraction for many Andrew P. Miller (Oem.) 662,568 70.6 Indlvld~als in the electorate. Apparently, M. Patton-Echo\s, Jr. (Rep.) 276,383 29.4 silu n n In g a partv~ lanel- -has few Others 69 disadvantages or political penalties in ------ ------ Virginia today. Totals 939,020 100.00 Andrew Miller was re-elected attorney SOURCE: State Board of Elections. general in a landslide of votes which rivalled the margins enjoyed in former indicating the effectiveness of Howell's the densely populated Northern Virginia years by Harry Byrd, Sr. Miller carried appeals and the continu ing resentment area and in Tidewater. Mrs. Crater's every city and county in the state, and of Godwin's party switch. statewide vote percentage of 10.5 was almost all localities were won by large The impact of the busing issue can be exceeded in three cities and fi"e margins. counties in Northern Virginia, and in seen in each of the areas where massive VOTER PARTICIPATION five large Tidewater cities. The redistribution of school children had A record voter turnout of 1,035,495 been ordered or contemplated (with the Charlottesville and Fredericksburg areas also contributed substantially to her was recorded in the gubernatorial exception of most Tidewater cities in election, surpassing the previous high of Howell's home area). Concern with total. Only a handful of localities outside the major urban areas and the 915,764 in 1969 (See Table 2). The busing seemed to erode Howell's normal urban corridor itself exceeded the percentage of participation by eligible voting strength in Northern Virgin ia, statewide Crater percentage. Since it is voters in Virginia, however, remains low, Danville, and Richmond. Even in reasonable to assume that most of her and well below the national average. The Newport News, on the north side of urban votes were Democratic and liberal rate of turnout showed a sl ight decrease Howell's Hampton Roads base, Howell's in nature, her candidacy would have in 1973 from four years earlier margins were not as substantial as been a crucial electoral factor had the probably due to the extension of expected. Dalton-M ichael race been closer. In such suffrage to eighteen-twenty year olds Jot."ln Dalton, Godwin's running mate, a situation, by drawing with their lower rates of participation~ scored a more impressive victory to disproportionately from liberal Interestingly, the percentage increase of secure- the-·· lieutenant governor's chair. votes appears to have leveled off in Dalton carried seventy-four of Democratic elements, she might have 1973, after major increases in 1965 and ninety-five counties and thirty-five of split the Democratic vote enough to 1969 with the abol ition of the poll tax. thirty-nine cities. F lora Crater did not enable the Republican candidate Dalton A stabilization of the voting rolls, with carry any locality, although she ran well to emerge with a plural ity. increases parallel to or slightly above in several urban areas, particularly in her Mrs. Crater's staunchest supporter home area of Northern Virginia. Dalton TABLE 2 carried every congressional district, and Participation In Gubernatorial Elections In Virginia 1953 1973 Michael ran credibly only in urban Democratic strongholds, the traditionally Votes Cast as I ncrease in Turnout Total Voting Total Votes Percentage of from Preceding De m 0 c rat ic counties of Southwest Year Popu lationa Cast Potential Vote Election Virginia, and his home area of Charlottesville. 1953 2,107,600 414,025 19.6 ----- The campaign of F lora Crater for 1957 2,222,600 517,655 23.9 +25.0 2,356,700 394,490 16.7 -23.8 Iieutenant governor deserves further 1961 1965 2,540,600 562,789 22.2 +42.7 comment. The first female statewide 1969 2,738,800 915,764 33.4 +62.7 candidate in a half-century began the 1973 3,234,000 1,035,495 32.0 +13.1 election campaign with little voter SOURCES: Population estimates for all years were provided by the Tayloe Murphy identification and political experience.