In 1871, Washburn ran for Governor of Massachusetts. The Republican Party was then dominant in state politics, and a number of well-known politicians vied for the party nomination to replace outgoing Governor William Claflin. Most prominent was the former Congressman and American Civil War general Benjamin F. Butler, who was disliked by the fiscally conservative state Republican establishment over his support for the continued issuance of greenbacks (currency not backed by silver or gold), and who frequently used populist tactics to upset convention proceedings. Butler's opponents eventually united behind Washburn to give him the nomination, and he won the general election by a 13,000 vote margin over John Quincy Adams II and a labor candidate. He was reelected to further terms in 1872 and 1873, the former despite dissension in Republican ranks that had resulted in the splitting off of the Liberal Republican Party, who fielded Francis W. Bird. The 1873 convention was particularly affected by the actions of Butler supporters, but Washburn prevailed and was again comfortably reelected. Washburn's three victories over Butler in these conventions marked a low point in the latter's career.