1888 Minnesota gubernatorial election
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The 1888 Minnesota gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1888, to elect the governor of Minnesota. Incumbent Andrew Ryan McGill was not not nominated for a second term. Republican William Rush Merriam was elected.
November 6, 1888
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 County results Merriam 40â50% 50â60% 60â70% 70â80% Wilson 40â50% 50â60% 60â70% 70â80% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Candidates
- Eugene McLanahan Wilson, former member of the United States House of Representatives
- Hugh G. Harrison, former mayor of Minneapolis
- Paul Jabez, Furniture manufacturer (Union Labor)
- William Rush Merriam, Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives (Republican)
Campaigns
Republican County Conventions was held over August and September of 1888. Unlike previous elections, where candidates were chosen by delegates from all counties assembling to one place at one time to vote, in 1888 each county met among themselves and simply published their votes to be counted. The three primary candidates were Merriam, incumbent Andrew Ryan McGill, and Albert Scheffer. By September 1st, Merriam had already won enough delegates to secure his victory in the primary.[1] Nominee Merriam began his campaign with a party for Republican officials in his mansion on September 27th, 1888.[2]
The Democratic Party held a primary between candidates Charles Canning, and Eugene M. Wilson. Canning campaigned on the same populist platform as Ames's previous campaign in 1886, and Wilson campaigned as a conservative. Wilson would be nominated. Wilson would disavow the previously Democratic-aligned Knights of Labor. Wilson would be described as "the Candidate for the Monopolistic Bosses."[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Rush Merriam | 134,355 | 51.26 | |
| Democratic | Eugene McLanahan Wilson | 110,251 | 42.07 | |
| Prohibition | Hugh G. Harrison | 17,026 | 6.50 | |
| Union Labor | Jabez Paul | 385 | 0.15 | |
| Write-Ins | 72 | 0.03 | ||
| Total votes | 262,089 | 100 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||