1970 United States Senate election in Virginia

← 1966 (special)

November 3, 1970

1976 →


Nominee	Harry F. Byrd Jr.	George Rawlings	Ray L. Garland
Party	Independent	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	506,237	294,582	144,765
Percentage	53.54%	31.15%	15.31%

County and Independent City Results
Byrd:      30-40%      40-50%      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%      80-90%
Rawlings:      30-40%      40-50%      50-60%      70-80%
Garland:      30-40%      40-50%      50-60%

U.S. senator before election

Harry F. Byrd Jr.
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Harry F. Byrd Jr.
Independent

Elections in Virginia

Federal government

U.S. President
1788–89 1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 Dem GOP 2012 2016 Dem 2020 Dem 2024 Dem GOP
U.S. Senate
1788 1790 (sp) 1791 1792 (sp) 1793 1794 (sp) 1796 1798 1799 (sp) 1803 1803 (sp) 1804 1804 (sp) 1808 1809 1811 1814 1814 (sp) 1815 (sp) 1816 1816 (sp) 1819 (sp) 1821 1822 (sp) 1823 1824 1824 (sp) 1827 1829 1832 (sp) 1833 1834 (sp) 1835 1836 (sp) 1837 1837 (sp) 1839 1840 1841 (sp) 1845 1845 (sp) 1846 1847 (sp) 1850 1852 1856 1858 1861 (sp) 1863 1865 1865 (sp) 1870 1871 1875 1877 1881 1883 1887 1889 1893 1893 (sp) 1894 1899 1899 1904 1906 1910 1911 1912 1912 (sp) 1916 1918 1920 (sp) 1922 1924 1928 1930 1933 (sp) 1934 1936 1940 1942 1946 1946 (sp) 1948 1952 1954 1958 1960 1964 1966 1966 (sp) 1970 1972 1976 1978 1982 1984 1988 1990 1994 1996 2000 2002 2006 2008 2012 2014 2018 2020 2024 2026
U.S. House
1789 1790 9th sp 1793 1795 1797 1798 (9th sp) 1799 1800 (13th sp) 1801 1803 1804 5th sp 13th sp 1805 13th sp 1807 17th sp 1809 21st sp 1st sp 1811 1813 1814 (11th sp) 1815 15th sp 1816 18th sp 23rd sp 1817 1818 (19th sp) 1819 1820 1st sp 10th sp 17th sp 20th sp 1821 1822 (2nd sp) 1823 1824 (13th sp) 1825 1826 (5th sp) 1827 1829 10th sp 1831 1833 1835 1837 1839 1841 1843 1845 1847 1849 1851 1853 1855 1857 1859 4th sp 1861 11th sp 1862 (1st sp) 1869 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 7th sp 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 7th sp 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1st sp 1920 4th sp 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 2nd sp 1946 5th sp 6th sp 7th sp 1948 4th sp 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 6th sp 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 5th sp 1990 1991 (7th sp) 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2001 (4th sp) 2002 8th 2004 2006 2007 (1st sp) 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 10th 2020 2022 2023 (4th sp) 2024

State government

Governor
1776 1851 1855 1859 1863 C U 1869 1873 1877 1881 1885 1889 1893 1897 1901 1905 1909 1913 1917 1921 1925 1929 1933 1937 1941 1945 1949 1953 1957 1961 1965 1969 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025
Lieutenant Governor
1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025
Attorney General
1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025
Senate
1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
House of Delegates
1975 1977 1979 1981 1982 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023
State elections
1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2023

Ballot measures

Statewide
1970 1972 1974 1976 1977 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1987 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
Fairfax County
2016

Alexandria

Mayor
2012 2015 2018 2021 2024 (List)

Hampton

Mayor
2016

Henrico County

Commonwealth's Attorney
2011 2015 2019

Norfolk

Mayor
2006 2010 2014 2016

Richmond

Mayor
2016 2020 2024
City Council
2016

Virginia Beach

Mayor
2008 2012 2016 2018 2020
City Council
2020

The 1970 United States Senate election in Virginia was held on November 3, 1970. Incumbent Senator Harry F. Byrd Jr. was re-elected to his first full term after winning a race 4 years earlier to finish the remainder of his father's term.

Having switched from Democratic to an Independent shortly before the election, Byrd became the first non-Democrat to represent the state in the Senate since 1889.

General election

Candidates

Harry F. Byrd Jr., incumbent U.S. Senator (Independent)
Ray L. Garland, State Delegate from Roanoke (Republican)
George C. Rawlings Jr. former State Delegate from Fredericksburg (Democratic)

Results

United States Senate election in Virginia, 1970^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Harry F. Byrd Jr. (Incumbent)	506,237	53.54%	+53.54%
	Democratic	George C. Rawlings, Jr.	294,582	31.15%	-22.15%
	Republican	Ray L. Garland	144,765	15.31%	-22.07%
	Write-in		30	0.00%	-0.02%
Majority			211,655	22.38%	+6.46%
Turnout			945,614
	Independent gain from Democratic

References

^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 3, 1970" (PDF). Clerk of the House of Representatives. p. 35.

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