1981 Newport County mayoral election

The 1973 Newport County mayoral election was held on November 6, 1973, to elect the mayor of Newport County, Piedmont.

Incumbent mayor Jimmy Barton ran for re-election for a second term as a Democrat. He unsuccessfully sought the nomination of the Newport County Republican Party, losing with 7.9% of the vote.

Incumbent county councilwoman Claire Durant, representing a safe Republican suburbs, ran against Barton. Winning the Republican nomination with 91.2% of the vote, Durant attempted to appeal to urban voters through taking more liberal approaches than Barton.

However, The Newport Times, after election day, reported that Barton felt lucky due to his landslide victory. Piedmont and the nation had underwent a Republican wave in local elections, and due to Durant's progressive policies, Barton took many Republican votes from suburbs. Also, he maintained Democratic voters in Newport City due to their systematically voting with the Democratic Party.