# 1889 United States gubernatorial elections

United States gubernatorial elections were held in 1889, in eleven states.
Virginia holds its gubernatorial elections in odd numbered years, every 4 years, following the United States presidential election year. New Jersey at this time held gubernatorial elections every 3 years. It abandoned this practice in 1949. Massachusetts and Rhode Island both elected their respective governors to a single-year term. They abandoned this practice in 1920 and 1912, respectively. Iowa and Ohio at this time held gubernatorial elections in every odd numbered year.
Mississippi at this time held its gubernatorial elections in odd numbered years, every 4 years, following the United States presidential election year. This was the last election in which this was the case. Mississippi switched to four-year terms with elections in the year preceding the presidential election year, starting with the 1895 elections.
Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington held their first gubernatorial elections on achieving statehood. Each of these states held early elections on October 1, 1889.

## Results

| State | Incumbent | Party | Status | Opposing candidates |
| Iowa | William Larrabee | Republican | Lost re-nomination, Democratic victory | Horace Boies (Democratic) 49.90% Joseph Hutchinson (Republican) 48.08% S. B. Downing (Union Labor) 1.60% Malcolm Smith (Prohibition) 0.38% Elias Doty (Greenback) 0.01% Scattering 0.02% |
| Massachusetts | Oliver Ames | Republican | Retired, Republican victory | John Q. A. Brackett (Republican) 48.40% William E. Russell (Democratic) 45.83% John Blackmer (Prohibition) 5.74% Scattering 0.02% |
| Mississippi | Robert Lowry | Democratic | Term-limited, Democratic victory | John Marshall Stone (Democratic) 99.98% Scattering 0.02% |
| Montana (held, 1 October 1889) | New state | | | Joseph Toole (Democratic) 50.75% Thomas C. Power (Republican) 49.25% |
| New Jersey | Robert Stockton Green | Democratic | Term-limited, Democratic victory | Leon Abbett (Democratic) 51.37% Edward Burd Grubb Jr. (Republican) 46.08% George La Monte (Prohibition) 2.55% |
| North Dakota (held, 1 October 1889) | New state | | | John Miller (Republican) 66.58% William N. Roach (Democratic) 33.42% |
| Ohio | Joseph B. Foraker | Republican | Defeated, 47.52% | James E. Campbell (Democratic) 48.93% John B. Helwig (Prohibition) 3.42% John H. Rhodes (Union Labor) 0.14% |
| Rhode Island (held, 3 April 1889) | Royal C. Taft | Republican | Declined re-nomination, Republican victory; since no candidate received an outright majority, the result was decided by the Rhode Island General Assembly | John W. Davis (Democratic) 49.38% Herbert W. Ladd (Republican) 39.13% James H. Chace (Law Enforcement) 8.34% Harrison H. Richardson (Prohibition) 3.12% Scattering 0.02% |
| South Dakota (held, 1 October 1889) | New state | | | Arthur C. Mellette (Republican) 69.36% P. F. McClure (Democratic) 30.64% |
| Virginia | Fitzhugh Lee | Democratic | Term-limited, Democratic victory | Philip W. McKinney (Democratic) 57.33% William Mahone (Republican) 42.33% Thomas E. Taylor (Prohibition) 0.31% Scattering 0.03% |
| Washington (held, 1 October 1889) | New state | | | Elisha Peyre Ferry (Republican) 57.68% Eugene Semple (Democratic) 42.32% |