1977 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 4.7% of the vote.

Former mayor James Molinaro ran for re-election for a seventh nonconsecutive term as a Republican. Being elected as a Democrat for the last six terms, he ran for the Republican nomination once more since 1969.

The election was supposed to be close, with insider polls from the Barton and Molinaro teams finding that Molinaro was well in the lead. However, according to a lack from The Newport Times, Molinaro was involved in a bribery scheme involving all Democratic members of the county council, resulting in a landslide re-election for Barton.