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 County results Davis: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100% Barton: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Unknown/No Vote: | |||||||||||||||||
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The1873 Minnesota gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1873, to elect thegovernor of Minnesota. Incumbent RepublicanHorace Austin was not seeking a third term.
The Democratic Convention was held on September 2, 1873. It was nicknamed the 'Owatonna Potato Bug Convention'. The term 'Potato Bug' is in reference to the sentiment that, likepotato bugs would eat crops, the Democratic Party was bad for farmers. The Democrats had multiple candidates in their primary, being David L. Buell,Ara Barton, R.A. Simmons, andOliver Dalrymple. Barton was nominated on the first ballot.[1]
The Prohibition Convention was also held on September 2, 1873.Samuel Mayall was suspected of being nominated, but seen as unlikely to accept.[2] He would ultimately accept the nomination.
The Republican Convention was held on September 16, 1873. The ensuing Republican Primary was a contentious race betweenWilliam D. Washburn, IncumbentHorace Austin,Thomas H. Armstrong, andCushman Kellogg Davis. After the second ballot, Armstrong withdrew from the race. Austin did the same after the third. The final vote between Davis and Washburn came to 152 for Washburn and 155 for Davis. Davis was declared the winner.[3]
Barton's campaign was hurt by the Democratic nominee forLieutenant Governor of Minnesota, Ebenezer Ayres. It was thought that Barton would seek a seat in theUnited States Senate following his election, leaving the unpopular Ayres as governor. However, Barton fared well in the public image on his own, being called a 'Regular Old-Time Democrat', in contrast to the previous previous four Democratic gubernatorial nominees, all of whom were either an ideological outlier or dealt with scandals.[4]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Cushman Kellogg Davis | 40,741 | 52.90 | |
| Democratic | Ara Barton | 35,245 | 47.56 | |
| Prohibition | Samuel Mayall | 1,036 | 1.35 | |
| Total votes | 77,022 | 100 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
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