United States gubernatorial elections were held 6 November 1973, in two states.
In Virginia, former Governor
Mills E. Godwin, Jr.
Mills Edwin Godwin Jr. (November 19, 1914January 30, 1999) was an American politician who was the 60th and 62nd governor of Virginia for two non-consecutive terms, from 1966 to 1970 and from 1974 to 1978.
In his first term, he was a member of ...
, who was elected in the 1965 gubernatorial election as a Democrat, ran and won as a Republican. He defeated
Henry Howell, who was also a former Democrat.
In New Jersey, the moderate incumbent Republican
William T. Cahill
William Thomas Cahill (June 25, 1912July 1, 1996) was an American politician, lawyer, and academic who served as the 46th governor of New Jersey from 1970 to 1974. A Republican, Cahill previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, repr ...
was defeated in the primary by
Charles W. Sandman Jr.
Charles William Sandman Jr. (October 23, 1921 – August 26, 1985) was an American Republican Party politician who represented Cape May County in the New Jersey Senate from 1954 to 1966 and represented southern New Jersey in the United States H ...
Cahill did not campaign for Sandman, and
Brendan Byrne
Brendan Thomas Byrne (April 1, 1924 – January 4, 2018) was an American politician, statesman, and prosecutor, serving as the 47th governor of New Jersey from 1974 to 1982.
A member of the Democratic Party, Byrne started his career as a privat ...
defeated Sandman handily.
States
References
{{U.S. gubernatorial elections
November 1973 events in the United States