The Minnesota Democratic Party was the main competition to the Republicans, although their chances of taking the body were considered slim to none.

The major competitions of the election cycle were during the primary season, during which partisans faced off over the issue of the 'county option.'

[2] Major issues of the general election campaign were addressed in a speech by then-Governor Adolph Olson Eberhart on October 5, 1910, in Mankato.

It advocated for a tariff commission that would be composed of non-partisan experts who would have control over taxes on imports, the end of political bossism, strong support for the 'county option' (as opposed to the Prohibitionists who stood for an outright statewide alcohol ban, and the Democrats who offered tepid support for the 'county option'), conservation of natural resources, fair re-apportionment, and additional funding for the state road system.

[3] The 63 members of the Senate were elected from single-member districts via first-past-the-post voting for four-year terms.