2005 Virginia gubernatorial election

The 2005 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 2005, 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 Democratic governor Mark Warner was ineligible to run for re-election as the Constitution of Virginia prohibits its governors from serving consecutive terms. Democratic Lieutenant Governor Tim Kaine and Republican Jerry Kilgore easily won their respective primaries. Republican state senator Russ Potts ran as an independent candidate. Kaine defeated Kilgore by 5 % points, which mirrored Warner's 5 % margin in the 2001 Virginia gubernatorial election. In the 2001 Virginia gubernatorial election, Democrat Mark Warner was accredited with strong performances in rural areas of the commonwealth which saw some reversions to Republican Jerry Kilgore in this election. Kaine made heavy attempts to appeal to suburban and exurban counties in Northern Virginia where President Bush did strongly in 2004 through campaigning with Governor Warner and support of zoning laws. Democratic governor Warner maintained high approval ratings in the state with 70–80% job approval — Kaine consistently associated himself with him. Kilgore ran a heavily aggressive campaign by attacking Kaine as an "out-of-touch liberal" who supported tax increases and opposed the death penalty. Kilgore lead in the initial polls though his aggressive campaign strategy failed to resonate, and Kaine had become favored in polling by Election Day. Virginia was considered competitive throughout the election, while the state's historical precedent of voting the party not in the presidential office since 1977 was noted as an important factor in the campaign. The election was largely viewed as a referendum on President Bush's second term ahead of the 2006 midterms by political pundits. Bush's late appearance in the state was viewed by both political parties as an attempt to potentially motivate their voters on Election Day. Warner's popularity and Kaine's focus on affordability were seen as the main factors for Kaine's win. This is the most recent election in which the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of opposite parties were elected. This is the last gubernatorial election when Accomack County, Buchanan County, Fluvanna County, Henry County, King and Queen County, Nottoway County, Rappahannock County, Westmoreland County and the independent cities of Buena Vista and Lynchburg have voted Democratic for governor.