1805 Virginia gubernatorial election

A gubernatorial election was held in Virginia on December 7, 1805. The Democratic-Republican former member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Amherst County William H. Cabell defeated the Democratic-Republican member of the Council of State Alexander MacRae.

The incumbent governor of Virginia John Page was ineligible for re-election due to term limits established by the Constitution of Virginia. The election was conducted by the Virginia General Assembly in joint session. Democratic-Republicans formed a majority on the joint ballot, but were divided between supporters of Cabell and MacRae. Most of the Democratic-Republican members supported MacRae, while all but five of the 28 to 30 Federalists voted for Cabell. Cabell was elected with a majority on the first ballot. The closeness of the election, with Federalist legislators supplying Cabell's entire margin of victory, led observers to characterize the result as a triumph of Federalist principles.