2001 Virginia gubernatorial election
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The 2001 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2001, to elect the next governor of Virginia. The election was held concurrently with other elections for Virginia's statewide offices, the House of Delegates, and other United States' offices. Incumbent Republican governor Jim Gilmore was ineligible to run for re-election, as the Constitution of Virginia prohibits its governors from serving consecutive terms. Former chair of the Virginia Democratic Party, Mark Warner defeated Republican Attorney General Mark Earley by 5.13%.
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November 6, 2001
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| Turnout | 46.4%  3.1[1] | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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  Warner: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Earley: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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As of 2026, this is the most recent election where the Democratic candidate won the majority of counties and independent cities.
General election
Campaign
Warner made a conscious effort to appeal to voters in rural Virginia, personified by his official campaign song, written by the Bluegrass Brothers.[2] The song was considered an essential part of Warner's outreach to rural Virginia, with the lyrics emphasizing Warner's understanding of the culture of that part of the state.[3][4]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Mark Earley (R) |
Mark Warner (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy/Research Inc.[5] | November 1, 2001[b] | 625 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 42% | 48% | 1%[c] | 9% |
| Roanoke College[6] | October 21–30, 2001 | 423 (LV) | ± 4.8% | 36% | 45% | 1% | 18% |
| Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy/Research Inc.[7][8] | October 18, 2001[d] | 625 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 42% | 45% | 1%[e] | 12% |
| McLaughlin & Associates (R)[9] | September 27, 2001[f] | – | – | 38% | 47% | – | – |
| Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy[10] | September 10–15, 2001 | 625 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 40% | 46% | 1%[g] | 13% |
| The Washington Post[11] | August 21, 2001 | 1,312 (RV) | ± 3.0% | 37% | 51% | – | 12% |
| August 21, 2001[h] | 695 (LV) | ± 4.0% | – | – | – | – |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mark Warner | 984,177 | 52.16% | +9.60% | |
| Republican | Mark Earley | 887,234 | 47.03% | −8.79% | |
| Libertarian | William Redpath | 14,497 | 0.77% | +0.77% | |
| Write-in | 813 | 0.04% | |||
| Majority | 96,943 | 5.14% | −8.11% | ||
| Turnout | 1,886,721 | ||||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | ||||
Results by county and city
| County[13] | Warner | Votes | Earley | Votes | Redpath | Votes | Others | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accomack | 50.3% | 3,710 | 48.5% | 3,575 | 1.2% | 89 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Albemarle | 56.3% | 14,891 | 42.2% | 11,143 | 1.4% | 373 | 0.1% | 21 |
| Alexandria | 68.2% | 23,739 | 31.1% | 10,810 | 0.6% | 226 | 0.1% | 27 |
| Alleghany | 59.0% | 3,018 | 39.9% | 2,044 | 1.1% | 56 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Amelia | 46.7% | 1,665 | 52.7% | 1,880 | 0.6% | 20 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Amherst | 50.8% | 4,198 | 48.8% | 4,031 | 0.4% | 37 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Appomattox | 51.3% | 2,268 | 47.3% | 2,090 | 1.4% | 61 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Arlington | 68.3% | 35,990 | 30.8% | 16,214 | 0.9% | 487 | 0.1% | 28 |
| Augusta | 37.1% | 6,673 | 61.9% | 11,133 | 0.9% | 164 | 0.0% | 4 |
| Bath | 51.8% | 804 | 46.4% | 721 | 1.8% | 28 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Bedford County | 41.1% | 8,035 | 57.8% | 11,298 | 1.1% | 211 | 0.0% | 3 |
| Bedford | 56.9% | 1,031 | 41.2% | 747 | 1.9% | 35 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Bland | 48.2% | 835 | 51.2% | 888 | 0.6% | 11 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Botetourt | 43.7% | 4,629 | 55.4% | 5,872 | 0.9% | 100 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Bristol | 48.6% | 2,166 | 50.9% | 2,268 | 0.5% | 21 | 0.1% | 3 |
| Brunswick | 65.3% | 2,840 | 34.3% | 1,491 | 0.4% | 16 | 0.1% | 3 |
| Buchanan | 65.7% | 3,746 | 33.7% | 1,921 | 0.7% | 39 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Buckingham | 59.1% | 2,364 | 40.1% | 1,601 | 0.8% | 32 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Buena Vista | 58.6% | 853 | 39.3% | 572 | 2.1% | 30 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Campbell | 45.7% | 7,187 | 53.1% | 8,366 | 1.2% | 187 | 0.0% | 3 |
| Caroline | 60.8% | 3,590 | 38.5% | 2,274 | 0.6% | 34 | 0.1% | 4 |
| Carroll | 42.3% | 3,309 | 57.2% | 4,481 | 0.5% | 40 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Charles City | 73.1% | 1,747 | 26.4% | 631 | 0.5% | 13 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Charlotte | 51.4% | 2,202 | 46.9% | 2,012 | 1.7% | 73 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Charlottesville | 72.9% | 6,781 | 24.9% | 2,316 | 2.1% | 193 | 0.2% | 16 |
| Chesapeake | 45.8% | 24,087 | 53.8% | 28,328 | 0.4% | 201 | 0.0% | 17 |
| Chesterfield | 41.9% | 33,810 | 57.3% | 46,160 | 0.7% | 534 | 0.1% | 94 |
| Clarke | 49.3% | 1,839 | 49.7% | 1,851 | 0.9% | 34 | 0.1% | 3 |
| Colonial Heights | 32.1% | 1,758 | 66.9% | 3,660 | 0.7% | 41 | 0.3% | 14 |
| Covington | 62.7% | 1,071 | 34.9% | 597 | 2.4% | 41 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Craig | 50.3% | 918 | 48.6% | 887 | 1.0% | 19 | 0.1% | 1 |
| Culpeper | 42.0% | 3,721 | 57.1% | 5,054 | 0.8% | 74 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Cumberland | 50.0% | 1,315 | 47.7% | 1,255 | 2.4% | 62 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Danville | 53.5% | 7,346 | 44.8% | 6,150 | 1.7% | 231 | 0.0% | 3 |
| Dickenson | 61.0% | 2,907 | 38.6% | 1,837 | 0.4% | 19 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Dinwiddie | 52.3% | 3,578 | 46.8% | 3,202 | 0.8% | 55 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Emporia | 59.4% | 912 | 40.1% | 616 | 0.5% | 7 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Essex | 54.2% | 1,436 | 45.4% | 1,203 | 0.4% | 10 | 0.1% | 2 |
| Fairfax County | 54.5% | 146,537 | 44.9% | 120,799 | 0.6% | 1,586 | 0.0% | 92 |
| Fairfax | 51.7% | 3,478 | 47.6% | 3,203 | 0.6% | 43 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Falls Church | 65.8% | 2,623 | 33.3% | 1,326 | 0.9% | 35 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Fauquier | 42.2% | 6,952 | 57.2% | 9,420 | 0.6% | 91 | 0.1% | 9 |
| Floyd | 46.6% | 2,093 | 51.9% | 2,331 | 1.5% | 69 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Fluvanna | 47.0% | 3,118 | 51.7% | 3,425 | 1.3% | 86 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Franklin County | 51.3% | 7,182 | 47.9% | 6,703 | 0.8% | 111 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Franklin | 64.5% | 1,434 | 35.1% | 781 | 0.3% | 6 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Frederick | 39.0% | 6,433 | 60.3% | 9,947 | 0.7% | 113 | 0.0% | 6 |
| Fredericksburg | 61.0% | 2,717 | 37.7% | 1,679 | 1.2% | 55 | 0.1% | 5 |
| Galax | 54.0% | 866 | 45.7% | 733 | 0.4% | 6 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Giles | 56.5% | 3,071 | 41.9% | 2,276 | 1.6% | 85 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Gloucester | 44.8% | 4,116 | 54.5% | 5,010 | 0.7% | 68 | 0.0% | 2 |
| Goochland | 47.3% | 3,091 | 51.9% | 3,394 | 0.7% | 46 | 0.1% | 6 |
| Grayson | 46.7% | 2,507 | 52.6% | 2,824 | 0.7% | 40 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Greene | 41.7% | 1,644 | 56.9% | 2,244 | 1.4% | 56 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Greensville | 68.6% | 1,859 | 31.0% | 841 | 0.3% | 8 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Halifax | 54.8% | 5,506 | 43.4% | 4,366 | 1.8% | 178 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Hampton | 63.7% | 20,627 | 35.8% | 11,592 | 0.5% | 157 | 0.0% | 16 |
| Hanover | 38.2% | 11,713 | 61.1% | 18,757 | 0.7% | 201 | 0.1% | 20 |
| Harrisonburg | 47.7% | 3,083 | 51.5% | 3,334 | 0.8% | 49 | 0.0% | 2 |
| Henrico | 51.4% | 42,089 | 47.9% | 39,215 | 0.6% | 514 | 0.1% | 85 |
| Henry | 61.4% | 9,872 | 36.9% | 5,942 | 1.7% | 270 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Highland | 48.0% | 533 | 51.2% | 568 | 0.8% | 9 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Hopewell | 49.4% | 2,467 | 48.8% | 2,435 | 1.8% | 88 | 0.1% | 4 |
| Isle of Wight | 49.9% | 4,727 | 49.7% | 4,708 | 0.3% | 32 | 0.0% | 4 |
| James City | 49.3% | 8,505 | 50.2% | 8,654 | 0.5% | 86 | 0.0% | 6 |
| King and Queen | 57.3% | 1,188 | 42.0% | 872 | 0.7% | 14 | 0.0% | 0 |
| King George | 49.2% | 2,110 | 50.1% | 2,151 | 0.7% | 29 | 0.0% | 1 |
| King William | 49.4% | 1,942 | 49.9% | 1,960 | 0.6% | 25 | 0.1% | 2 |
| Lancaster | 45.7% | 2,025 | 53.5% | 2,373 | 0.7% | 29 | 0.1% | 5 |
| Lee | 53.3% | 2,923 | 46.2% | 2,536 | 0.5% | 25 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Lexington | 64.6% | 1,053 | 33.9% | 552 | 1.5% | 24 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Loudoun | 45.8% | 20,907 | 53.4% | 24,372 | 0.7% | 310 | 0.0% | 20 |
| Louisa | 53.7% | 4,244 | 45.2% | 3,568 | 1.1% | 89 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Lunenburg | 54.7% | 1,996 | 44.7% | 1,634 | 0.6% | 21 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Lynchburg | 53.0% | 9,314 | 46.3% | 8,132 | 0.6% | 112 | 0.1% | 10 |
| Madison | 44.9% | 1,794 | 53.1% | 2,121 | 1.9% | 76 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Manassas | 45.7% | 2,992 | 53.8% | 3,520 | 0.5% | 31 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Manassas Park | 46.3% | 691 | 52.9% | 790 | 0.7% | 11 | 0.1% | 2 |
| Martinsville | 67.0% | 2,769 | 32.6% | 1,346 | 0.4% | 16 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Mathews | 46.4% | 1,516 | 52.4% | 1,712 | 1.1% | 37 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Mecklenburg | 46.7% | 3,519 | 51.7% | 3,898 | 1.6% | 124 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Middlesex | 47.6% | 1,757 | 50.4% | 1,861 | 2.0% | 74 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Montgomery | 55.7% | 11,154 | 43.1% | 8,639 | 1.1% | 228 | 0.1% | 13 |
| Nelson | 59.4% | 2,681 | 39.1% | 1,763 | 1.5% | 68 | 0.0% | 1 |
| New Kent | 45.6% | 2,161 | 53.5% | 2,532 | 0.8% | 37 | 0.1% | 7 |
| Newport News | 57.0% | 21,318 | 42.5% | 15,920 | 0.4% | 168 | 0.0% | 16 |
| Norfolk | 65.2% | 28,244 | 34.0% | 14,741 | 0.7% | 294 | 0.0% | 14 |
| Northampton | 64.2% | 2,316 | 34.2% | 1,236 | 1.6% | 58 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Northumberland | 49.7% | 2,166 | 49.6% | 2,159 | 0.6% | 26 | 0.1% | 4 |
| Norton | 67.6% | 773 | 32.0% | 366 | 0.4% | 5 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Nottoway | 57.4% | 2,513 | 41.6% | 1,824 | 1.0% | 43 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Orange | 47.5% | 3,617 | 51.3% | 3,902 | 1.2% | 94 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Page | 42.4% | 2,443 | 57.2% | 3,292 | 0.4% | 21 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Patrick | 48.3% | 2,651 | 50.6% | 2,775 | 1.0% | 56 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Petersburg | 82.0% | 7,018 | 17.6% | 1,509 | 0.4% | 32 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Pittsylvania | 42.5% | 7,462 | 56.0% | 9,831 | 1.5% | 270 | 0.0% | 5 |
| Poquoson | 35.7% | 1,489 | 63.7% | 2,656 | 0.6% | 25 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Portsmouth | 65.7% | 17,336 | 33.8% | 8,922 | 0.4% | 103 | 0.0% | 13 |
| Powhatan | 36.8% | 2,558 | 62.4% | 4,338 | 0.8% | 58 | 0.0% | 3 |
| Prince Edward | 58.6% | 2,874 | 40.1% | 1,967 | 1.3% | 64 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Prince George | 45.1% | 3,414 | 54.2% | 4,104 | 0.6% | 43 | 0.1% | 9 |
| Prince William | 46.8% | 27,297 | 52.4% | 30,543 | 0.9% | 497 | 0.0% | 5 |
| Pulaski | 53.0% | 5,109 | 45.8% | 4,411 | 1.2% | 115 | 0.0% | 4 |
| Radford | 58.9% | 1,876 | 40.2% | 1,280 | 0.8% | 26 | 0.0% | 1 |
| Rappahannock | 48.0% | 1,284 | 51.2% | 1,369 | 0.7% | 20 | 0.1% | 2 |
| Richmond County | 49.1% | 1,101 | 50.1% | 1,124 | 0.8% | 17 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Richmond | 73.3% | 35,558 | 25.6% | 12,432 | 1.1% | 514 | 0.1% | 33 |
| Roanoke County | 47.0% | 14,993 | 52.4% | 16,713 | 0.6% | 204 | 0.0% | 7 |
| Roanoke | 62.1% | 15,348 | 37.0% | 9,147 | 0.8% | 204 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Rockbridge | 50.3% | 2,972 | 48.9% | 2,885 | 0.7% | 44 | 0.0% | 2 |
| Rockingham | 36.0% | 6,642 | 63.5% | 11,723 | 0.5% | 97 | 0.1% | 10 |
| Russell | 60.4% | 4,507 | 38.9% | 2,907 | 0.7% | 53 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Salem | 49.7% | 4,067 | 49.4% | 4,042 | 0.8% | 66 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Scott | 42.8% | 2,877 | 56.1% | 3,772 | 1.2% | 78 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Shenandoah | 40.2% | 4,531 | 59.1% | 6,653 | 0.6% | 72 | 0.1% | 7 |
| Smyth | 51.4% | 4,691 | 47.7% | 4,354 | 0.9% | 85 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Southampton | 60.2% | 2,790 | 39.4% | 1,827 | 0.3% | 15 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Spotsylvania | 45.8% | 9,742 | 53.8% | 11,447 | 0.4% | 89 | 0.0% | 5 |
| Stafford | 43.2% | 9,248 | 56.1% | 12,019 | 0.6% | 132 | 0.1% | 23 |
| Staunton | 48.8% | 3,141 | 50.6% | 3,256 | 0.6% | 38 | 0.0% | 2 |
| Suffolk | 53.1% | 9,124 | 46.5% | 7,996 | 0.3% | 59 | 0.0% | 2 |
| Surry | 65.5% | 1,550 | 33.9% | 801 | 0.6% | 14 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Sussex | 61.6% | 1,924 | 36.3% | 1,134 | 2.1% | 66 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Tazewell | 54.3% | 5,250 | 44.9% | 4,335 | 0.8% | 76 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Virginia Beach | 46.3% | 43,495 | 53.0% | 49,800 | 0.6% | 560 | 0.0% | 35 |
| Warren | 44.6% | 3,546 | 54.2% | 4,311 | 1.2% | 97 | 0.1% | 5 |
| Washington | 45.3% | 6,703 | 53.8% | 7,972 | 0.9% | 130 | 0.0% | 3 |
| Waynesboro | 42.9% | 2,109 | 56.5% | 2,777 | 0.4% | 21 | 0.1% | 4 |
| Westmoreland | 57.6% | 2,471 | 41.0% | 1,759 | 1.5% | 63 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Williamsburg | 57.5% | 1,475 | 41.6% | 1,067 | 0.9% | 24 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Winchester | 51.4% | 3,155 | 47.7% | 2,928 | 0.8% | 50 | 0.0% | 0 |
| Wise | 58.5% | 5,509 | 40.5% | 3,816 | 1.0% | 92 | 0.0% | 4 |
| Wythe | 48.6% | 3,822 | 50.7% | 3,991 | 0.6% | 47 | 0.1% | 9 |
| York | 45.0% | 7,530 | 54.3% | 9,083 | 0.6% | 100 | 0.0% | 5 |
Counties and independent cities that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Accomack (largest city: Chincoteague)
- Albemarle (largest municipality: Scottsville)
- Appomattox (largest city: Appomattox)
- Bedford (independent city)
- Buena Vista (independent city)
- Danville (independent city)
- Galax (independent city)
- Giles (largest city: Pearisburg)
- King and Queen (largest CDP: King and Queen Courthouse)
- Fairfax (independent city)
- Fairfax (largest municipality: Herndon)
- Henrico (largest borough: Richmond)
- Prince Edward (largest city: Farmville)
- Westmoreland (largest city: Colonial Beach)
- Winchester (independent city)
- Lynchburg (independent city)
- Southampton (largest municipality: Courtland)
- Amherst (largest city: Amherst)
- Bath (largest city: Hot Springs)
- Buckingham (largest city: Dillwyn)
- Charlotte (largest city: Keysville)
- Craig (largest city: New Castle)
- Cumberland (largest city: Farmville)
- Dinwiddie (largest town: McKenney)
- Essex (largest city: Tappahannock)
- Emporia (independent city)
- Franklin (largest city: Rocky Mount)
- Halifax (largest city: South Boston)
- Hopewell (independent city)
- Isle of Wight (largest city: Smithfield)
- Salem (independent city)
- Louisa (largest city: Louisa)
- Lee (largest city: Pennington Gap)
- Northumberland (largest city: Heathsville)
- Pulaski (largest city: Pulaski)
- Rockbridge (largest city: Lexington)
- Smyth (largest city: Marion)
- Tazewell (largest city: Richlands)
- Wise (largest city: Big Stone Gap)
- Nottoway (largest city: Blackstone)
- Montgomery (largest city: Blacksburg)
- Newport News (independent city)
- Suffolk (independent city)
- Northampton (largest city: Exmore)
- Henry (largest city: Blacksburg)
- Alleghany (largest city: Clifton Forge)
See also
Notes
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - No official poll shows at what time period it was specifically conducted.
- William Redpath with 1%
- No official poll shows at what time period it was specifically conducted.
- William Redpath with 1%
- No official poll shows at what time period it was specifically conducted.
- William Redpath with 1%
- Warner lead by 11 percentage points in this subsection.