1985 Virginia gubernatorial election

For related races, see 1985 United States gubernatorial elections.

In the 1985 Virginia gubernatorial election, incumbent Governor Chuck Robb, a Democrat, was unable to seek re-election due to term limits. Jerry Baliles, the Attorney General of Virginia, was nominated by the Democratic Party to run against the Republican nominee, Wyatt B. Durrette. This is the most recent time the Democratic candidate won a gubernatorial race in Virginia with a double-digit margin of victory.

1985 Virginia gubernatorial election

← 1981 November 5, 1985 1989 →
Turnout	53.0% (voting eligible)^[1]
Nominee Gerald Baliles Wyatt Durrette Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 741,438 601,652 Percentage 55.2% 44.8%
County and independent city results Baliles:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Durrette:      50–60%      60–70%
Governor before election Charles Robb Democratic Elected Governor Gerald Baliles Democratic

Democratic nomination

Candidates

• Jerry Baliles, Attorney General of Virginia
• Dick Davis, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia

General election

Candidates

• Jerry Baliles, Attorney General of Virginia (Democratic)
• Wyatt Durrette, former State Delegate from Fairfax and 1981 Republican nominee for Attorney General of Virginia (Republican)

Results

Virginia gubernatorial election, 1985^[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Gerald L. Baliles	741,438	55.20%	+1.67%
	Republican	Wyatt B. Durrette Jr.	601,652	44.79%	-1.63%
	Write-ins		153	0.01%
Majority			139,786	10.41%	+3.30%
Turnout			1,343,243
	Democratic hold		Swing

References

1. Virginia Department of Elections (2016). . The Commonwealth of Virginia. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
2. 1985 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Virginia US Election Atlas