1860 Election Cycle

Minnesotans got their first chance to vote in a presidential election and backed Abraham Lincoln by 29 points in the first of 13 consecutive wins by the Republican Party. Republicans also won back the offices of Auditor (Charles McIlrath) and Clerk of the Supreme Court (Andrew (A.J.) Van Vorhes) by nearly as large margins and swept both at-large U.S. House seats for the second consecutive cycle.

The Apportionment of 1860 reduced the number of senators from 37 to 21 and the number of representatives from 80 to 42. There were 21 senate districts eliminating multi-member districts for the upper legislative chamber.

Elections

Date Office Stage Winners Details
11/06/1860 State House, District 03 General Thomas Cathcart (Democrat) won with 677 votes (17.35%) and a winning margin of +0.64
Levi Wheeler (Republican) won with 663 votes (16.99%) and a winning margin of +0.28
Peter (P.L.) Gregory (Democrat) won with 653 votes (16.73%) and a winning margin of +0.03
Candidate Gender Party Votes Percent
Thomas Cathcart Man Democrat 677 17.35
Levi Wheeler Man Republican 663 16.99
Peter (P.L.) Gregory Man Democrat 653 16.73
William Nettleton Incumbent Man Democrat 652 16.71
H.W. Wheeler Man Republican 636 16.30
James H. (J.H.) Van Dyke Man Republican 622 15.94
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11/06/1860 State House, District 09 General Joseph E. (J.E.) Chapman (Republican) won with 1,356 votes (38.15%) and a winning margin of +25.83
Clark R. (C.R.) White (Republican) won with 1,340 votes (37.70%) and a winning margin of +25.38
Candidate Gender Party Votes Percent
Joseph E. (J.E.) Chapman Man Republican 1,356 38.15
Clark R. (C.R.) White Man Republican 1,340 37.70
Edward Strange Man Democrat 438 12.32
Mathew (M.H.) Palmer Man Democrat 420 11.82
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11/06/1860 U.S. House General Cyrus Aldrich (Republican) won with 22,333 votes (31.73%) and a winning margin of +14.44
William Windom (Republican) won with 22,165 votes (31.49%) and a winning margin of +14.20
Candidate Gender Party Votes Percent
Cyrus Aldrich Incumbent Man Republican 22,333 31.73
William Windom Incumbent Man Republican 22,165 31.49
John Gilman Man Democrat 12,168 17.29
James George Man Democrat 12,125 17.23
Alonzo J. (A.J.) Edgerton Man Breckinridge Democrat 787 1.12
James W. Taylor Man Breckinridge Democrat 769 1.09

Two at-large U.S. Representatives elected.

George was a resident of Dodge County.

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11/06/1860 President / Vice President General Abraham Lincoln (Republican) won with 22,069 votes (63.53%) and a winning margin of +29.22
Candidate Gender Party Votes Percent
Abraham Lincoln with Hannibal Hamlin Man Republican 22,069 63.53
Stephen Douglas with Herschel Johnson Man Democrat 11,920 34.31
John Breckinridge with Joseph Lane Man Democrat Southern Faction 748 2.15

Lincoln and Hamlin each received Minnesota's four Electoral College votes. Lincoln's margin would remain the largest in the state until Teddy Roosevelt's 55.1-point victory in 1904.

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11/06/1860 State House, District 01 General Henry Acker (Republican) won with 726 votes (26.64%) and a winning margin of +1.80
Jefferson Parish (J.P.) Kidder (Democrat) won with 679 votes (24.92%) and a winning margin of +0.07
Candidate Gender Party Votes Percent
Henry Acker Incumbent Man Republican 726 26.64
Jefferson Parish (J.P.) Kidder Man Democrat 679 24.92
Andrew Nessel Man Republican 677 24.84
John S. (J.S.) Prince Man Democrat 643 23.60

Nessel contested the election of Kidder on the grounds there was a tallying error in the results. The Minnesota House of Representatives found Nessel won by one vote and declared him entitled to the seat on January 23, 1861 by a vote of 36 to 3.

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