In the 1981 Virginia gubernatorial election, Republican incumbent Governor John N. Dalton was unable to seek re-election due to term limits. Chuck Robb, the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, was nominated by the Democratic Party to run against the Republican nominee, state Attorney General J. Marshall Coleman.
Robb's victory ended 12 consecutive years of Republican control of the Governor's Mansion.
Fairfax County voted Democratic for Governor for the first time since 1949, whilst as of 2021 this remains the last occasion when Mathews County or Mecklenburg County voted Democratic for Governor.
Counties and independent cities that flipped from Democratic to Republican
Counties and independent cities that flipped from Republican to Democratic