1848 Virginia gubernatorial election

A gubernatorial election was held in Virginia on December 12, 1848. The Democratic member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Washington County John B. Floyd defeated the Democratic judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia George W. Thompson.^[1]

The incumbent governor of Virginia William Smith was ineligible for re-election due to term limits established by the Constitution of Virginia. Floyd attracted support based on his stance favoring internal improvements for Western Virginia,^[2] as well as from Whigs who considered him the most acceptable of the Democratic candidates.^[3]

The election was conducted by the Virginia General Assembly in joint session. No candidate had a majority on the first ballot, requiring two additional rounds of voting. Floyd was elected with a majority on the third ballot.^[4]