The 1898 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 1898. Democratic Party of Minnesota candidate John Lind defeated Republican Party of Minnesota challenger William Henry Eustis. This was the second of three successive elections in which John Lind ran as a candidate for a coalition formed from the Democrats and the People's Party. This was also the first time since 1857, and only the second time ever up to that point, that a Democrat was elected governor of Minnesota.
Candidates
- William Henry Eustis, former mayor of Minneapolis (Republican)
- William B. Hammond, secretary of the State Federation of Labor (Socialist Labor)
- George W. Higgins, local business owner in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Prohibition)
- John Lind, former representative from Minnesota's 2nd congressional district (Democratic, People's)
- Lionel C. Long, farmer (Midroad-Populist)
Campaigns
The Democratic State Convention was held on June 9, 1898, and was "small and fast", consisting of only 35 delegates. John Lind was renominated. He was a progressive and a populist.
The Republican State Convention was held on June 30, 1898. The primary was between three men: William Henry Eustis, Samuel Rinnah Van Sant, and Loren W. Collins. Eustis was nominated on the second ballot. He gained support for being a union negotiator during his time as mayor, peacefully ending a rail strike in 1893, and at the benefit of the strikers. This was at a time when most unions were suppressed, often with violence. Eustis was able to gain favor with some of the labor vote because of this, though not enough to secure the election.
A major blow came to Eustis's campaign when incumbent Republican Governor David Marston Clough endorsed Lind, due to a personal disliking of Eustis.
Upon his victory, Lind gave a speech in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota in which he credited his victory to the previous efforts of the Farmer's Alliance and the Populist Party.