November 4, 1890 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Lee: 30−40% 40−50% 50−60% 60−70% 80−90% Wilson: 30−40% 40−50% 50–60% 60–70% 70−80% Owen: 30−40% 40−50% 50−60% 60−70% 70−80% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Minnesota |
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The 1890 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 1890. Republican Party of Minnesota incumbent William Rush Merriam defeated Democratic Party of Minnesota challenger Thomas Wilson and Farmers' Alliance candidate Sidney M. Owen.
The Farmer's Alliance, a powerful force in Minnesotan politics, voted to run their own candidates in the upcoming elections. This was due to being removed from the Democratic State convention in 1886, and being defeated in the primary in 1888. The Republicans had no interest in cooperation with the Alliance. After Knute Nelson showed no interest (he chose to run for the Republican nomination), Sidney M. Owen became the nominee. The Farmer's Alliance would be the first major third-party showing in Minnesotan history, and would be far from the last.
The Republican Convention, held on July 24, 1890, would see three candidates in the primary. Incumbent William R. Merriam, Knute Nelson, and William W. Braden. Merriam would win in a landslide, with 350 votes to Nelson's 74 and Braden's 34. Merriam's victory speech made no note of the Democrats, instead focusing on the Farmer's Alliance as the main opponent. He spent much of his speech speaking about the accomplishments of the state under the Republican party (which is practice was nearly all of the state's history to that point). He stated "The past history of the Republican Party is a guarantee for its future actions." [1]
The Democratic Convention saw the collapse of progressive and left-wing factions of the party, largely abandoning it in favor of the Farmer's Alliance. Delegates from Kittson County, and some from Blue Earth County, voted for Owen to be the Democratic nominee; however, with little further enthusiasm for a progressive from the Democratic Party, conservative Thomas Wilson was to nominated with no serious opposition. [2] However, come the convention, Wilson found himself against serious competitor Robert A. Smith, the mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota. [3] Come the day of the Convention—September 10, 1890—Wilson would be nominated. [4] Wilson's campaign was harmed by his continued ties to railroad corporations, as well as his anti-union rhetoric, causing the Democratic ticket to fair extremely poorly with the labor vote. [5]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | William Rush Merriam (incumbent) | 88,111 | 36.58% | −14.77% | |
| Democratic | Thomas Wilson | 85,844 | 35.63% | −6.51% | |
| Alliance | Sidney M. Owen | 58,513 | 24.29% | n/a | |
| Prohibition | James P. Pinkham | 8,424 | 3.50% | −3.01% | |
| Majority | 2,267 | 0.95% | |||
| Turnout | 240,892 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
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