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 County and independent city results Godwin: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Holton: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Story: 30–40% 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Virginia |
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In the 1965 Virginia gubernatorial election, incumbent Governor of the U.S. state, Albertis Harrison, a Democrat, was unable to seek re-election due to term limits. For the first time in many decades there was an uncontested Democratic primary, in which incumbent Lieutenant Governor Mills Godwin was unopposed.[1] Linwood Holton, an attorney from Roanoke, was nominated by the Republican Party, whilst the newly formed Virginia Conservative Party nominated William J. Story Jr. of Chesapeake.
This is the last time York County would vote Democratic in a gubernatorial election until 2025.
Background
For the previous six decades, Virginia had had the most restricted electorate in the nation due to a cumulative poll tax and literacy tests, completely disenfranchising most blacks and poorer whites.[2] This allowed for state politics to be dominated by the conservative Democratic "Byrd Organization", as "antiorganization" factions were rendered impotent by the inability of almost all their potential electorate to vote.[2] Things would be substantially changed in the previous year's presidential election, as strong registration drives would almost double black voter registration from around 110,000 to 200,000 in a few years.[3]
Incumbent lieutenant governor Mills E. Godwin was viewed as the leading Democratic candidate for Governor from the time of the previous year's elections,[4] especially after Harry Byrd Jr. chose not to run in December.[5] Godwin was a product of the Byrd Organization but not shackled to its traditional thinking:[6] he sought alliances with unions, urban whites and the growing black electorate as well as Byrd stalwarts.[7]
Right-wing challenges to the Byrd Democrats
Opposition to Holton's new strategies within the organization led to the formation of firstly the Conservative Council and then a "Conservative Party" led by John Birch Society member William Story.[8] The Conservatives believed that the pay-as-you-go political system must be reinforced and federal control eliminated throughout the state.[9] The Conservatives attacked Godwin as
Lyndon [Johnson]'s fair-headed boy backed by welfare payments funded by hardworking taxpayers.[8]
Besides Story and his Conservatives, George Lincoln Rockwell, an avowed white supremacist and founder/leader of the American Nazi Party, ran as an independent candidate. Rockwell planned his run at least a year in advance, telling an associate that such a campaign would be useful to inflame the reaction of the Jewish population.[10][11] He filed for governor as an independent on April 20[12] with a campaign that promoted white schools, law and order, taxes and welfare, anti-subversive commission, and relocation benefits.[13] At the close of the campaign, Rockwell said that he would end NAACP meetings in the state.[14]
General election
Polls
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Free Lance-Star[15] | Likely D | November 1, 1965 |
| The Evening Times[16] | Likely D | November 2, 1965 |
Candidates
- Mills E. Godwin, Jr., Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (Democratic)
- A. Linwood Holton, Jr., Roanoke attorney (Republican)
- William J. Story, Jr., assistant superintendent of Chesapeake City Public Schools (Conservative)
- George Lincoln Rockwell, founder of the American Nazi Party (Independent)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mills E. Godwin Jr. | 296,526 | 47.89% | −15.96% | |
| Republican | A. Linwood Holton Jr. | 212,207 | 37.71% | +1.56% | |
| Conservative | William J. Story Jr. | 75,307 | 13.38% | +13.38% | |
| White Constitutional | George Lincoln Rockwell | 5,730 | 1.02% | ||
| Write-ins | 19 | <0.01% | |||
| Majority | 84,319 | 14.98% | −12.73% | ||
| Turnout | 562,789 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
Results by county or independent city
| Mills Edwin Godwin jr. Democratic |
Abner Linwood Holton jr. Republican |
William J. Story Jr. Conservative |
George Lincoln Rockwell Independent |
Margin | Total votes cast | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Accomack County | 2,284 | 65.67% | 892 | 25.65% | 255 | 7.33% | 47 | 1.35% | 1,392 | 40.02% | 3,478 |
| Albemarle County | 2,108 | 51.31% | 1,495 | 36.39% | 438 | 10.66% | 66 | 1.61% | 613 | 14.92% | 4,107 |
| Alleghany County | 903 | 55.67% | 583 | 35.94% | 110 | 6.78% | 26 | 1.60% | 320 | 19.73% | 1,622 |
| Amelia County | 627 | 40.14% | 156 | 9.99% | 762 | 48.78% | 17 | 1.09% | -135[a] | -8.64% | 1,562 |
| Amherst County | 1,553 | 52.01% | 629 | 21.06% | 759 | 25.42% | 45 | 1.51% | 794[a] | 26.59% | 2,986 |
| Appomattox County | 1,216 | 59.43% | 247 | 12.07% | 559 | 27.32% | 24 | 1.17% | 657[a] | 32.11% | 2,046 |
| Arlington County | 11,193 | 43.72% | 13,079 | 51.09% | 1,026 | 4.01% | 303 | 1.18% | -1,886 | -7.37% | 25,601 |
| Augusta County | 2,503 | 43.95% | 2,914 | 51.17% | 211 | 3.71% | 67 | 1.18% | -411 | -7.22% | 5,695 |
| Bath County | 411 | 57.32% | 248 | 34.59% | 51 | 7.11% | 7 | 0.98% | 163 | 22.73% | 717 |
| Bedford County | 2,053 | 45.21% | 1,513 | 33.32% | 847 | 18.65% | 128 | 2.82% | 540 | 11.89% | 4,541 |
| Bland County | 542 | 53.82% | 410 | 40.71% | 39 | 3.87% | 16 | 1.59% | 132 | 13.11% | 1,007 |
| Botetourt County | 1,143 | 42.38% | 1,367 | 50.69% | 169 | 6.27% | 18 | 0.67% | -224 | -8.31% | 2,697 |
| Brunswick County | 672 | 25.30% | 518 | 19.50% | 1,447 | 54.48% | 19 | 0.72% | -775[a] | -29.18% | 2,656 |
| Buchanan County | 2,776 | 61.46% | 1,557 | 34.47% | 56 | 1.24% | 128 | 2.83% | 1,219 | 26.99% | 4,517 |
| Buckingham County | 1,013 | 68.68% | 205 | 13.90% | 248 | 16.81% | 9 | 0.61% | 765[a] | 51.86% | 1,475 |
| Campbell County | 1,662 | 39.43% | 1,267 | 30.06% | 1,194 | 28.33% | 92 | 2.18% | 395 | 9.37% | 4,215 |
| Caroline County | 835 | 53.63% | 225 | 14.45% | 493 | 31.66% | 4 | 0.26% | 342[a] | 21.97% | 1,557 |
| Carroll County | 1,439 | 32.18% | 2,895 | 64.74% | 92 | 2.06% | 46 | 1.03% | -1,456 | -32.56% | 4,472 |
| Charles City County | 598 | 77.97% | 88 | 11.47% | 77 | 10.04% | 4 | 0.52% | 510 | 66.49% | 767 |
| Charlotte County | 661 | 37.28% | 238 | 13.42% | 851 | 48.00% | 23 | 1.30% | -190[a] | -10.72% | 1,773 |
| Chesterfield County | 4,314 | 29.40% | 4,634 | 31.59% | 5,656 | 38.55% | 67 | 0.46% | -1,022[b] | -6.97% | 14,671 |
| Clarke County | 608 | 67.56% | 255 | 28.33% | 20 | 2.22% | 17 | 1.89% | 353 | 39.22% | 900 |
| Craig County | 482 | 58.71% | 319 | 38.86% | 19 | 2.31% | 1 | 0.12% | 163 | 19.85% | 821 |
| Culpeper County | 1,454 | 68.36% | 552 | 25.95% | 80 | 3.76% | 41 | 1.93% | 902 | 42.41% | 2,127 |
| Cumberland County | 591 | 49.96% | 110 | 9.30% | 477 | 40.32% | 5 | 0.42% | 114[a] | 9.64% | 1,183 |
| Dickenson County | 1,369 | 53.08% | 1,153 | 44.71% | 21 | 0.81% | 36 | 1.40% | 216 | 8.38% | 2,579 |
| Dinwiddie County | 1,313 | 54.28% | 267 | 11.04% | 826 | 34.15% | 13 | 0.54% | 487[a] | 20.13% | 2,419 |
| Essex County | 331 | 43.32% | 142 | 18.59% | 290 | 37.96% | 1 | 0.13% | 41[a] | 5.37% | 764 |
| Fairfax County | 16,974 | 43.20% | 20,917 | 53.23% | 1,055 | 2.68% | 346 | 0.88% | -3,943 | -10.03% | 39,292 |
| Fauquier County | 1,850 | 67.64% | 809 | 29.58% | 55 | 2.01% | 21 | 0.77% | 1,041 | 38.06% | 2,735 |
| Floyd County | 623 | 32.05% | 1,261 | 64.87% | 48 | 2.47% | 12 | 0.62% | -638 | -32.82% | 1,944 |
| Fluvanna County | 441 | 46.52% | 195 | 20.57% | 300 | 31.65% | 12 | 1.27% | 141[a] | 14.87% | 948 |
| Franklin County | 2,298 | 53.13% | 1,654 | 38.24% | 283 | 6.54% | 90 | 2.08% | 644 | 14.89% | 4,325 |
| Frederick County | 1,168 | 56.32% | 827 | 39.87% | 57 | 2.75% | 22 | 1.06% | 341 | 16.44% | 2,074 |
| Giles County | 1,606 | 51.74% | 1,348 | 43.43% | 134 | 4.32% | 16 | 0.52% | 258 | 8.31% | 3,104 |
| Gloucester County | 936 | 53.95% | 485 | 27.95% | 299 | 17.23% | 15 | 0.86% | 451 | 25.99% | 1,735 |
| Goochland County | 859 | 51.19% | 251 | 14.96% | 557 | 33.19% | 11 | 0.66% | 302[a] | 18.00% | 1,678 |
| Grayson County | 2,209 | 48.49% | 2,240 | 49.17% | 81 | 1.78% | 26 | 0.57% | -31 | -0.68% | 4,556 |
| Greene County | 305 | 39.66% | 370 | 48.11% | 57 | 7.41% | 37 | 4.81% | -65 | -8.45% | 769 |
| Greensville County | 1,068 | 28.34% | 1,441 | 38.23% | 1,182 | 31.36% | 78 | 2.07% | 259[b] | 6.87% | 3,769 |
| Halifax County | 1,578 | 45.51% | 954 | 27.52% | 852 | 24.57% | 83 | 2.39% | 624 | 18.00% | 3,467 |
| Hanover County | 1,636 | 40.78% | 1,235 | 30.78% | 1,099 | 27.39% | 42 | 1.05% | 401 | 10.00% | 4,012 |
| Henrico County | 8,311 | 35.91% | 8,814 | 38.08% | 5,875 | 25.38% | 137 | 0.59% | -503 | -2.17% | 23,137 |
| Henry County | 1,879 | 53.30% | 1,229 | 34.87% | 359 | 10.18% | 58 | 1.65% | 650 | 18.44% | 3,525 |
| Highland County | 329 | 44.34% | 381 | 51.35% | 22 | 2.96% | 10 | 1.35% | -52 | -7.01% | 742 |
| Isle of Wight County | 1,592 | 63.76% | 511 | 20.46% | 382 | 15.30% | 12 | 0.48% | 1,081 | 43.29% | 2,497 |
| James City County | 607 | 49.84% | 439 | 36.04% | 151 | 12.40% | 21 | 1.72% | 168 | 13.79% | 1,218 |
| King and Queen County | 328 | 52.40% | 91 | 14.54% | 187 | 29.87% | 20 | 3.19% | 141[a] | 22.52% | 626 |
| King George County | 595 | 64.19% | 278 | 29.99% | 37 | 3.99% | 17 | 1.83% | 317 | 34.20% | 927 |
| King William County | 630 | 54.83% | 202 | 17.58% | 308 | 26.81% | 9 | 0.78% | 322[a] | 28.02% | 1,149 |
| Lancaster County | 688 | 48.66% | 450 | 31.82% | 261 | 18.46% | 15 | 1.06% | 238 | 16.83% | 1,414 |
| Lee County | 2,583 | 67.62% | 1,118 | 29.27% | 33 | 0.86% | 86 | 2.25% | 1,465 | 38.35% | 3,820 |
| Loudoun County | 1,847 | 58.41% | 1,171 | 37.03% | 87 | 2.75% | 53 | 1.68% | 676 | 21.38% | 3,158 |
| Louisa County | 890 | 49.53% | 307 | 17.08% | 572 | 31.83% | 27 | 1.50% | 318[a] | 17.70% | 1,796 |
| Lunenburg County | 993 | 40.58% | 200 | 8.17% | 1,247 | 50.96% | 7 | 0.29% | -254[a] | -10.38% | 2,447 |
| Madison County | 500 | 50.15% | 376 | 37.71% | 97 | 9.73% | 24 | 2.41% | 124 | 12.44% | 997 |
| Mathews County | 780 | 54.47% | 482 | 33.66% | 159 | 11.10% | 11 | 0.77% | 298 | 20.81% | 1,432 |
| Mecklenburg County | 1,439 | 39.03% | 663 | 17.98% | 1,549 | 42.01% | 36 | 0.98% | -110[a] | -2.98% | 3,687 |
| Middlesex County | 541 | 51.67% | 193 | 18.43% | 299 | 28.56% | 14 | 1.34% | 242[a] | 23.11% | 1,047 |
| Montgomery County | 2,196 | 38.06% | 3,263 | 56.55% | 269 | 4.66% | 42 | 0.73% | -1,067 | -18.49% | 5,770 |
| Nansemond County | 3,441 | 71.90% | 697 | 14.56% | 628 | 13.12% | 20 | 0.42% | 2,744 | 57.33% | 4,786 |
| Nelson County | 793 | 67.43% | 227 | 19.30% | 121 | 10.29% | 34 | 2.89% | 566 | 48.13% | 1,175 |
| New Kent County | 314 | 41.48% | 188 | 24.83% | 250 | 33.03% | 5 | 0.66% | 64[a] | 8.45% | 757 |
| Northampton County | 958 | 56.62% | 492 | 29.08% | 237 | 14.01% | 5 | 0.30% | 466 | 27.54% | 1,692 |
| Northumberland County | 549 | 47.86% | 394 | 34.35% | 197 | 17.18% | 7 | 0.61% | 155 | 13.51% | 1,147 |
| Nottoway County | 1,054 | 39.91% | 178 | 6.74% | 1,391 | 52.67% | 18 | 0.68% | -337[a] | -12.76% | 2,641 |
| Orange County | 892 | 54.59% | 490 | 29.99% | 228 | 13.95% | 24 | 1.47% | 402 | 24.60% | 1,634 |
| Page County | 1,992 | 45.46% | 2,250 | 51.35% | 75 | 1.71% | 65 | 1.48% | -258 | -5.89% | 4,382 |
| Patrick County | 935 | 60.17% | 550 | 35.39% | 57 | 3.67% | 12 | 0.77% | 385 | 24.77% | 1,554 |
| Pittsylvania County | 2,334 | 45.68% | 1,033 | 20.22% | 1,644 | 32.18% | 98 | 1.92% | 690[a] | 13.51% | 5,109 |
| Powhatan County | 546 | 41.74% | 125 | 9.56% | 636 | 48.62% | 1 | 0.08% | -90[a] | -6.88% | 1,308 |
| Prince Edward County | 1,085 | 42.04% | 236 | 9.14% | 1,242 | 48.12% | 18 | 0.70% | -157[a] | -6.08% | 2,581 |
| Prince George County | 1,169 | 52.26% | 490 | 21.90% | 564 | 25.21% | 14 | 0.63% | 605[a] | 27.05% | 2,237 |
| Prince William County | 2,392 | 61.43% | 1,364 | 35.03% | 81 | 2.08% | 57 | 1.46% | 1,028 | 26.40% | 3,894 |
| Pulaski County | 1,865 | 49.29% | 1,669 | 44.11% | 224 | 5.92% | 26 | 0.69% | 196 | 5.18% | 3,784 |
| Rappahannock County | 355 | 65.26% | 173 | 31.80% | 8 | 1.47% | 8 | 1.47% | 182 | 33.46% | 544 |
| Richmond County | 328 | 49.25% | 197 | 29.58% | 132 | 19.82% | 9 | 1.35% | 131 | 19.67% | 666 |
| Roanoke County | 3,470 | 31.36% | 7,032 | 63.56% | 492 | 4.45% | 70 | 0.63% | -3,562 | -32.19% | 11,064 |
| Rockbridge County | 1,206 | 43.76% | 1,309 | 47.50% | 223 | 8.09% | 18 | 0.65% | -103 | -3.74% | 2,756 |
| Rockingham County | 2,302 | 40.79% | 3,089 | 54.73% | 189 | 3.35% | 64 | 1.13% | -787 | -13.94% | 5,644 |
| Russell County | 1,797 | 45.15% | 2,064 | 51.86% | 75 | 1.88% | 44 | 1.11% | -267 | -6.71% | 3,980 |
| Scott County | 1,909 | 37.39% | 3,032 | 59.39% | 76 | 1.49% | 88 | 1.72% | -1,123 | -22.00% | 5,105 |
| Shenandoah County | 1,900 | 38.23% | 2,896 | 58.27% | 122 | 2.45% | 52 | 1.05% | -996 | -20.04% | 4,970 |
| Smyth County | 1,843 | 41.68% | 2,467 | 55.79% | 72 | 1.63% | 40 | 0.90% | -624 | -14.11% | 4,422 |
| Southampton County | 1,284 | 45.12% | 289 | 10.15% | 1,262 | 44.34% | 11 | 0.39% | 22[a] | 0.77% | 2,846 |
| Spotsylvania County | 1,326 | 60.69% | 586 | 26.82% | 169 | 7.73% | 104 | 4.76% | 740 | 33.87% | 2,185 |
| Stafford County | 1,719 | 55.98% | 1,117 | 36.37% | 97 | 3.16% | 138 | 4.49% | 602 | 19.60% | 3,071 |
| Surry County | 472 | 27.60% | 606 | 35.44% | 623 | 36.43% | 9 | 0.53% | -17[b] | -0.99% | 1,710 |
| Sussex County | 931 | 35.08% | 584 | 22.00% | 1,130 | 42.58% | 9 | 0.34% | -199[a] | -7.50% | 2,654 |
| Tazewell County | 2,736 | 54.10% | 2,153 | 42.57% | 111 | 2.19% | 57 | 1.13% | 583 | 11.53% | 5,057 |
| Warren County | 1,490 | 58.78% | 903 | 35.62% | 109 | 4.30% | 33 | 1.30% | 587 | 23.16% | 2,535 |
| Washington County | 2,642 | 48.02% | 2,772 | 50.38% | 40 | 0.73% | 48 | 0.87% | -130 | -2.36% | 5,502 |
| Westmoreland County | 509 | 53.69% | 314 | 33.12% | 108 | 11.39% | 17 | 1.79% | 195 | 20.57% | 948 |
| Wise County | 3,175 | 58.81% | 2,186 | 40.49% | 15 | 0.28% | 23 | 0.43% | 989 | 18.32% | 5,399 |
| Wythe County | 1,932 | 48.24% | 1,844 | 46.04% | 186 | 4.64% | 43 | 1.07% | 88 | 2.20% | 4,005 |
| York County | 1,435 | 46.88% | 1,289 | 42.11% | 287 | 9.38% | 50 | 1.63% | 146 | 4.77% | 3,061 |
| Alexandria City | 5,077 | 47.22% | 5,269 | 49.00% | 283 | 2.63% | 122 | 1.13% | -192 | -1.79% | 10,751 |
| Bristol City | 1,156 | 61.46% | 710 | 37.75% | 12 | 0.64% | 3 | 0.16% | 446 | 23.71% | 1,881 |
| Buena Vista City | 501 | 57.39% | 310 | 35.51% | 57 | 6.53% | 5 | 0.57% | 191 | 21.88% | 873 |
| Charlottesville City | 2,705 | 50.36% | 1,997 | 37.18% | 613 | 11.41% | 56 | 1.04% | 708 | 13.18% | 5,371 |
| Chesapeake City | 5,124 | 47.82% | 2,124 | 19.82% | 3,353 | 31.29% | 114 | 1.06% | 1,771[a] | 16.53% | 10,715 |
| Clifton Forge City | 761 | 56.25% | 483 | 35.70% | 95 | 7.02% | 14 | 1.03% | 278 | 20.55% | 1,353 |
| Colonial Heights City | 1,088 | 42.75% | 604 | 23.73% | 833 | 32.73% | 20 | 0.79% | 255[a] | 10.02% | 2,545 |
| Covington City | 1,273 | 61.44% | 669 | 32.29% | 101 | 4.87% | 29 | 1.40% | 604 | 29.15% | 2,072 |
| Danville City | 2,420 | 45.08% | 1,247 | 23.23% | 1,651 | 30.76% | 50 | 0.93% | 769[a] | 14.33% | 5,368 |
| Fairfax City | 1,006 | 49.07% | 962 | 46.93% | 67 | 3.27% | 15 | 0.73% | 44 | 2.15% | 2,050 |
| Falls Church City | 980 | 45.73% | 1,090 | 50.86% | 54 | 2.52% | 19 | 0.89% | -110 | -5.13% | 2,143 |
| Franklin City | 838 | 59.43% | 246 | 17.45% | 317 | 22.48% | 9 | 0.64% | 521[a] | 36.95% | 1,410 |
| Fredericksburg City | 1,584 | 58.86% | 962 | 35.75% | 104 | 3.86% | 41 | 1.52% | 622 | 23.11% | 2,691 |
| Galax City | 634 | 49.65% | 592 | 46.36% | 47 | 3.68% | 4 | 0.31% | 42 | 3.29% | 1,277 |
| Hampton City | 5,205 | 51.81% | 4,025 | 40.07% | 724 | 7.21% | 92 | 0.92% | 1,180 | 11.75% | 10,046 |
| Harrisonburg City | 1,122 | 46.13% | 1,245 | 51.19% | 50 | 2.06% | 15 | 0.62% | -123 | -5.06% | 2,432 |
| Hopewell City | 2,262 | 56.96% | 1,109 | 27.93% | 551 | 13.88% | 49 | 1.23% | 1,153 | 29.04% | 3,971 |
| Lynchburg City | 3,864 | 43.80% | 3,422 | 38.79% | 1,422 | 16.12% | 112 | 1.27% | 442 | 5.01% | 8,820 |
| Martinsville City | 1,581 | 52.11% | 1,168 | 38.50% | 257 | 8.47% | 28 | 0.92% | 413 | 13.61% | 3,034 |
| Newport News City | 7,264 | 56.30% | 4,405 | 34.14% | 1,059 | 8.21% | 174 | 1.35% | 2,859 | 22.16% | 12,902 |
| Norfolk City | 12,419 | 52.74% | 7,315 | 31.07% | 3,663 | 15.56% | 150 | 0.64% | 5,104 | 21.68% | 23,547 |
| Norton City | 343 | 48.79% | 355 | 50.50% | 1 | 0.14% | 4 | 0.57% | -12 | -1.71% | 703 |
| Petersburg City | 2,790 | 58.72% | 897 | 18.88% | 1,047 | 22.04% | 17 | 0.36% | 1,743[a] | 36.69% | 4,751 |
| Portsmouth City | 7,206 | 60.28% | 2,639 | 22.08% | 1,997 | 16.71% | 112 | 0.94% | 4,567 | 38.20% | 11,954 |
| Radford City | 1,307 | 47.42% | 1,335 | 48.44% | 97 | 3.52% | 17 | 0.62% | -28 | -1.02% | 2,756 |
| Richmond City | 18,032 | 55.27% | 8,798 | 26.97% | 5,613 | 17.21% | 180 | 0.55% | 9,234 | 28.31% | 32,623 |
| Roanoke City | 5,888 | 35.12% | 9,947 | 59.33% | 816 | 4.87% | 114 | 0.68% | -4,059 | -24.21% | 16,765 |
| South Boston City | 490 | 46.85% | 323 | 30.88% | 224 | 21.41% | 9 | 0.86% | 167 | 15.97% | 1,046 |
| Staunton City | 2,062 | 50.51% | 1,804 | 44.19% | 173 | 4.24% | 43 | 1.05% | 258 | 6.32% | 4,082 |
| Suffolk City | 1,453 | 71.05% | 382 | 18.68% | 204 | 9.98% | 5 | 0.24% | 1,071 | 52.37% | 2,044 |
| Virginia Beach City | 6,224 | 54.43% | 3,718 | 32.51% | 1,445 | 12.64% | 48 | 0.42% | 2,506 | 21.92% | 11,435 |
| Waynesboro City | 1,275 | 43.80% | 1,499 | 51.49% | 116 | 3.98% | 21 | 0.72% | -224 | -7.69% | 2,911 |
| Williamsburg City | 479 | 45.40% | 483 | 45.78% | 85 | 8.06% | 8 | 0.76% | -4 | -0.38% | 1,055 |
| Winchester City | 1,100 | 59.91% | 675 | 36.76% | 49 | 2.67% | 12 | 0.65% | 425 | 23.15% | 1,836 |
| Totals | 269,526 | 47.89% | 212,207 | 37.71% | 75,307 | 13.38% | 5,730 | 1.02% | 57,319 | 10.18% | 562,770 |
Analysis
Godwin won the election with a plurality over Holton and Story. Story's strength – around four points greater than expected in pre-election polls[19] that gave him nine percent of the total[20] – mainly came at the expense of the Democrats as counties in the Piedmont that had been won by Democrats with over seventy percent shrank to forty percent or less. Godwin did best in the Tidewater Region, while Holton ran best in the traditionally Republican Shenandoah Valley and Southwest Virginia. Increased turnout due to the Twenty-fourth Amendment helped Godwin. Whereas previous Republican gubernatorial candidates had typically won majorities of a limited black vote[21] reaching up to ninety percent,[22] Godwin is thought to have won seventy-five percent of a black vote estimated at seventy thousand.[c][21] Despite the fact that Holton had opposed Massive Resistance, the association of the Republicans with Barry Goldwater was fatal for his chances of winning the newly enfranchised African-Americans.[22]
Godwin's success was based on a very unlikely coalition of liberals and conservatives: he would even get people of radically different ideologies to work for him in different localities – Armistead Boothe in Arlington and William Tuck in Danville.[23]
Rockwell received 5,730 votes,[24] slightly less than 1% of the total.[24] While he was initially disappointed and shocked by his showing, only weeks later at a speech he spun it as a positive result, saying that
with a budget of $15,000, with a total press blackout, and with a 'Kosher conservative' [splitting the vote] ... I got 7,000 people to vote for a Nazi.[24][25]
Notes
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 In this county or city where Holton ran third behind Godwin and Story, margin given is Godwin vote minus Story vote and percentage margin Godwin percentage minus Story percentage.
- 1 2 3 In this county or city where Godwin ran third behind both Holton and Story, margin given is Holton vote minus Story vote and percentage margin Holton percentage minus Story percentage.
- ↑ This is less than half the estimated black vote in the state in the 1964 presidential election, more than ninety-five percent of which went to Democrat Lyndon Johnson.[3]
Sources
- Simonelli, Frederick J. (1999). American Fuehrer: George Lincoln Rockwell and the American Nazi Party. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-02285-2.
- Schmaltz, William H. (2000) [1999]. Hate: George Lincoln Rockwell and the American Nazi Party. Washington, D.C.: Brassey's. ISBN 978-1-57488-262-9.
References
- ↑ "Virginia Primary Is Today". Winston-Salem Journal. UPI. July 13, 1965. p. 5.
- 1 2 Key, Valdimer Orlando (1949). Southern Politics in State and Nation. New York City: A.A. Knopf. pp. 20, 495.
- 1 2 Davidson, Chandler; Grofman, Bernard (1994). Quiet Revolution in the South: the Impact of the Voting Rights Act, 1965-1990. pp. 275–276. ISBN 0691032475.
- ↑ "Harry Byrd Jr. 'Thinking' of Running for Governor – Decision Due Early Next Year". Culpeper Star-Exponent. November 14, 1964. p. 1.
- ↑ "Pops Hole in Political Trial Balloon – Harry Byrd Jr. Won't Run for Governor". Danville Register and Bee. December 8, 1964. pp. 1-A, 4-A.
- ↑ Roland, Charles Pierce (1975). The Improbable Era: The South Since World War II. University Press of Kentucky. p. 80. ISBN 9780813113357.
- ↑ Holton, Abner Linwood (2008). Opportunity time. University of Virginia Press. p. 57. ISBN 9780813927206.
- 1 2 Pope, Michael Lee (2022). The Byrd Machine in Virginia: The Rise and Fall of a Conservative Political Organization. History Press. p. 140. ISBN 9781467139205.
- ↑ Parr, Patrick Anthony (August 1982). The 1969 Democratic Party Gubernatorial Primary: A Watershed in Virginia Political History (Master of Arts thesis). Old Dominion University. pp. 33–34.
- ↑ Simonelli 1999, p. 98.
- ↑ Schmaltz 2000, p. 247.
- ↑ Schmaltz 2000, pp. 247–248.
- ↑ "What Rockwell Will Do As Governor [Rockwell for Governor Campaign leaflet]" (1965) [Campaign leaflet]. Edward H. Peeples, Jr. Papers, Box: 13, File: 342. James Branch Cabell Library, Virginia Commonwealth University.
- ↑ Cox, Charles (November 1, 1965). "Nazi Is Fined for Creating Disorder at NAACP Session". The World-News. Roanoke, Virginia. p. 13.
- ↑ "Voters of Area, State Decide Races Tomorrow: Both Parties Make Final Voter Pleas". The Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. November 1, 1965. p. 1.
- ↑ "Election Capsule". The Evening Times. Trenton, New Jersey. November 2, 1965. p. 1.
- ↑ Hunter, Jack R. (Spring 1972). Linwood Holton's long quest for the governorship of Virginia and its impact on the growth of the Republican Party (Masters thesis). University of Richmond.
- ↑ "VA Governor – November 02, 1965". Our Campaigns.
- ↑ Atkinson, Frank B. (2006). The Dynamic Dominion: Realignment and the Rise of Two-Party Competition in Virginia, 1945-1980. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 178. ISBN 9780742552081.
- ↑ "GOP Senses Upset in Virginia Election". Press of Atlantic City. Associated Press. November 2, 1965. p. 2.
- 1 2 Topping, John C. (1966). Southern Republicanism and the New South. pp. 122–127.
- 1 2 Kabaservice, Geoffrey (January 2, 2012). Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, From Eisenhower to the Tea Party. Oxford University Press. p. 158. ISBN 9780199921133.
- ↑ Pope (2022). The Byrd Machine in Virginia. pp. 142–143.
- 1 2 3 Schmaltz 2000, p. 264.
- ↑ Simonelli 1999, p. 99.