For related races, see 1997 United States gubernatorial elections.
1997 Virginia gubernatorial election
← 1993
November 4, 1997
2001 →
Turnout
49.5% (voting eligible)[1]
Nominee
Jim Gilmore
Don Beyer
Party
Republican
Democratic
Popular vote
969,062
738,971
Percentage
55.8%
42.6%
County and independent city results Gilmore: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Beyer: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70%
Governor before election
George Allen
Republican
Elected Governor
Jim Gilmore
Republican
Elections in Virginia
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v
t
e
The 1997 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1997. The incumbent Governor, George Allen, was barred from seeking a second term due to Virginia's unique term limits law. The Republican candidate, Jim Gilmore, the Attorney General of Virginia defeated the Democratic nominee, Don Beyer, the incumbent Lieutenant Governor.
Coupled with Republican gains in the House of Delegates in 1999, Republicans won a trifecta in the state for the first time since 1870. As of 2024, this is the last time in which the Republicans won the governorship for two consecutive terms.
^Virginia Department of Elections (2016). "Registration/Turnout Statistics". The Commonwealth of Virginia. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
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