A gubernatorial election was held in Virginia on November 7, 1786. The attorney general of Virginia Edmund Randolph defeated the member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Prince George County Theodorick Bland and the U.S. congressional delegate from Virginia Richard Henry Lee.
The incumbent governor of Virginia Patrick Henry declined to seek re-election. Randolph was a supporter of the Annapolis Convention and was considered a likely candidate to succeed Henry when the legislature met in October. Bland was "an ally of Henry and an Antifederalist," while Randolph was aligned with the nationalist faction headed by James Madison.
The election was conducted by the Virginia General Assembly in joint session. Randolph was elected by a large majority on the first ballot.
General election + 1786 Virginia gubernatorial election Party Candidate First ballot Count Percent Federalists Edmund Randolph Anti-Federalists Theodorick Bland Anti-Federalists Richard Henry Lee
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