This was the first Minnesota gubernatorial election with a third party candidate on the ballot. The Temperance Party was founded in 1868 and held its first convention in St. Paul on October 6, 1869. It would later be known as the Prohibition Party in the state.
Yale was a lawyer from Winona, state Senator (SD 11, 1867-1868; SD 08 1876-1878; SD 15, 1895-1899), and state Representative (HD 02, 1899-1901).
Wiswell was a lawyer from Mankato, Mayor of Mankato, and former state Representative (HD 17, 1862-1865; HD 14, 1872-1873).
Stevens was a colonel, a farmer from Glencoe, and editor of the Farmer's Union who served in the state House (HD 18, 1857-1859; HD 06, 1862-1863; HD 26, 1876-1877) and state Senate (SD 18, 1859-1861). He was also the Democratic/Anti-Monopoly nominee for Secretary of State in 1873 and Temperance nominee for Secretary of State in 1875.