The 1910 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 1910. Republican incumbent Adolph Olson Eberhart defeated Democratic challenger James Gray. Eberhart was not running for a second term, but to be elected in his own right. He took office after his predecessor, John Albert Johnson, died in office.
This was the last gubernatorial election in Minnesota in which the conventions were closed, and primaries were held privately among party delegates.
Candidates
- George E. Barrett, pastor (Public Ownership)
- Charles F. Brandborg, Farmers' Alliance state committee member (Socialist Labor)
- Adolph Olson Eberhart, incumbent (Republican)
- James Gray, former mayor of Minneapolis (Democrat)
- Jorgen F. Heiberg, miller (Prohibition)
Campaigns
The Republican State Convention was held on June 17, 1910. Eberhart was nominated without any opposition.
The Democratic State Convention was held on September 14, 1910. John Lind, who was previously the governor and still extremely popular within the Democratic party, was asked to run. He declined. On September 9, 1910, Lind met with various party leaders, including Frank A. Day, and they decided to endorse James Gray for governor. This came as a surprise, considering he had never been mentioned as a potential candidate. At the convention, he was unanimously selected as the party's nominee.
Eberhart won the election in a landslide. He became the first candidate for governor to win every county in the state, an accomplishment only achieved two other times in the history of the state, in 1916 and 1974.