‹ 1956  1964 ›
United States presidential election, 1960
November 8, 1960
Nominee		John F. Kennedy	Richard Nixon	Harry F. Byrd
Party		Democratic	Republican	Independent
Home state		Massachusetts	California	Virginia
Running mate		Lyndon B. Johnson	Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.	James Strom Thurmond
Electoral vote		303	219	15
States carried		22	26	2
Popular vote		34,220,984	34,108,157	286,359
Percentage		49. Please DO NOT flip the colors --> The United States presidential election of 1956 saw a popular Dwight D Please DO NOT flip the colors -->The United States presidential election of 1964 was one of the most lopsided presidential elections in the history of the United States Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of Harry Flood Byrd Sr ( June 10, 1887 – October 20, 1966) of Berryville in Clarke County Virginia was an American The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. In Politics, an independent is a Politician who is not Affiliated with any Political party. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Henry Cabot Lodge Jr ( July 5, 1902 &ndash February 27, 1985) was a Republican United States Senator from Massachusetts James Strom Thurmond ( December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who served as governor of South Carolina and 7%	49. 5%	0. 4%
Presidential election results map. Blue denotes states won by Kennedy/Johnson, Red denotes those won by Nixon/Lodge. Brown denotes the electoral votes for Harry F. Byrd by Alabama and Mississippi unpledged electors, and an Oklahoma "faithless elector". Harry Flood Byrd Sr ( June 10, 1887 – October 20, 1966) of Berryville in Clarke County Virginia was an American Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. Mississippi ( is a state located in the Deep South of the United States In United States presidential elections an unpledged elector is a member of the Electoral College who has not pledged to support any particular candidate for President Oklahoma ( is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. Faithless electors are members of the Electoral College who do not cast their electoral votes for the people they have pledged to vote for Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state.
Incumbent President Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican President-Elect John F. Kennedy Democratic

The United States presidential election of 1960 marked the end of Dwight D. Eisenhower's two terms as President. Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (October 14 1890 – March 28 1969 was President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a five-star general Eisenhower's Vice President, Richard M. Nixon, who had transformed his office into a national political base, was the Republican (GOP) candidate. The Vice President of the United States is the first person in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death

The Democrats nominated Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy (JFK). The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of He was only the second Roman Catholic to become a major-party presidential candidate (the previous one was Democrat Al Smith in 1928). Alfred Emanuel Smith Jr, known in private and public life as Al Smith, ( December 30, 1873 - October 4, 1944) was elected Governor During the campaign, Kennedy charged that under Eisenhower and the Republicans America was falling behind the Soviet Union in the Cold War, both militarily and economically, and that as President he would "get America moving again". The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the Nixon responded that, if elected, he would continue the "peace and prosperity" Eisenhower had brought the nation, and that with the nation engaged in the Cold War, Kennedy was too young and inexperienced to be trusted with the Presidency. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the The electoral vote was the closest in any presidential election dating to 1916, and Kennedy's margin of victory in the popular vote is among the closest ever in American history. The United States presidential election of 1916 took place while Europe was embroiled in World War I. The 1960 election also remains a source of debate among some historians as to whether vote theft in selected states aided Kennedy's victory. Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an Election.

Contents 1 Nominations 1.1 Democratic Party nomination 1.2 Republican Party nomination 2 Democratic Convention 3 General election 3.1 The fall campaign 3.2 Results 3.2.1 Controversies 3.2.2 Alabama popular vote 3.2.3 Georgia popular vote 3.2.4 Unpledged Democratic electors 3.3 Close states 4 See also 5 Notes 6 Further reading 7 External links 8 Navigation

Nominations

Democratic Party nomination

The following political leaders were candidates for the 1960 Democratic presidential nomination. With the exceptions of Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Stuart Symington and Adlai Stevenson^[1], these men were "favorite-son" candidates without any realistic chance of winning the nomination:

Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts	Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas	Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota	Former Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois
Governor Ross Barnett of Mississippi	Governor Pat Brown of California	Businessman Paul C. Fisher from Pennsylvania	Governor Robert B. Meyner of New Jersey
Senator Wayne Morse of Oregon	Senator George Smathers of Florida	Senator Stuart Symington of Missouri

Kennedy was initially dogged by suggestions from some Democratic Party elders (such as former President Harry Truman) that he was too youthful and inexperienced to be president; these critics suggested that he agree to be the running mate for a "more experienced" Democrat. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The Senate Majority and Minority Leaders (also called Senate Floor Leaders) are two United States Senators who are elected by the party conferences Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr ( May 27, 1911 &ndash January 13, 1978) was the thirty-eighth Vice President of the United States, serving Minnesota ( Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers The Governor of Illinois is the chief executive of the State of Illinois and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction as prescribed in the This is about the mid-20th-century politician and diplomat for other American politicians so named see Adlai Stevenson (disambiguation. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. This is a list of the Governors of the State of Mississippi. Prior to 1804 parts of Mississippi were part of the state of Georgia; see Ross Robert Barnett ( January 22, 1898 November 6, 1987) was the Democratic governor of the U Mississippi ( is a state located in the Deep South of the United States The Governor of California is the highest executive authority in the state government whose responsibilities include making annual "State of the State" addresses Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown Sr ( April 21, 1905 February 16, 1996) was the 32nd Governor of California, serving California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Paul C Fisher ( 10 October 1913 - 20 October 2006) was an American inventor and politician The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern The Governor of New Jersey is the Chief executive of the US state of New Jersey. Robert Baumle Meyner ( July 3, 1908 - May 27, 1990) of Phillipsburg New Jersey was an American Democratic Party New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. Wayne Lyman Morse ( October 20, 1900 – July 22, 1974) was a United States Senator from Oregon from 1945 until Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. George Armistead Smathers (November 14 1913 – January 20 2007 was an American lawyer and politician who represented Florida in the United States Senate Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the William Stuart Symington ( June 26, 1901 – December 14, 1988) was a businessman and Political figure from Missouri. Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee Realizing that this was a strategy touted by his opponents to keep the public from taking him seriously, Kennedy stated frankly ‘I’m not running for vice president, I’m running for president. ’[2]

A more serious problem for Kennedy was his Roman Catholic religion. Recalling the experience of 1928 Catholic Democratic presidential nominee Al Smith, many wondered if anti-Catholic prejudice would hurt Kennedy's chances of winning the nomination and the election in November. Alfred Emanuel Smith Jr, known in private and public life as Al Smith, ( December 30, 1873 - October 4, 1944) was elected Governor Anti-Catholicism is a generic term for Discrimination, hostility or Prejudice directed at the Roman Catholic Church or its followers To prove his vote-getting ability, Kennedy challenged Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey, a liberal, in the Wisconsin primary. Minnesota ( Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr ( May 27, 1911 &ndash January 13, 1978) was the thirty-eighth Vice President of the United States, serving Wisconsin ( or wɪˈskɑnsɨn (French Ouisconsin) is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States Although Kennedy defeated Humphrey in Wisconsin, the fact that his margin of victory came mostly from heavily Catholic areas left many party bosses unconvinced of Kennedy's appeal to non-Catholic voters. Kennedy next faced Humphrey in the heavily Protestant state of West Virginia, where anti-Catholic bigotry was said to be widespread. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by Humphrey's campaign was low on money and could not compete with the well-organized, well-financed Kennedy team. Kennedy's attractive sisters and brothers combed the state looking for votes, leading Humphrey to complain that he "felt like an independent merchant running against a chain store. " On primary day Kennedy crushed Humphrey with over 60% of the vote. Humphrey withdrew from the race and Kennedy had gained the victory he needed to prove to the party's bosses that a Catholic could win in a non-Catholic state. In the months leading up to the Democratic Convention Kennedy traveled around the nation persuading delegates from various states to support him. However, as the Convention opened Kennedy was still a few dozen votes short of victory.

Primary states won by:

Kennedy

• Illinois
• Indiana
• Maryland
• Massachusetts (home state)
• New Hampshire
• Nebraska
• Pennsylvania
• Oregon
• West Virginia
• Wisconsin

Humphrey

• South Dakota
• District of Columbia

Brown

• California (home state)

Smathers

• Florida (home state)

DiSalle

• Ohio (home state)

Republican Party nomination

Republican candidates

Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona

Vice President Richard Nixon of California

Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York

With the ratification of the 22nd Amendment in 1951 President Eisenhower could not run for the office of President again; he had been elected in 1952 and 1956. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. The State of Indiana ( was the 19th US state admitted into the union The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. New Hampshire ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Nebraska ( is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States and The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Oregon ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. West Virginia ( is a state in the Appalachian Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, bordered by Wisconsin ( or wɪˈskɑnsɨn (French Ouisconsin) is one of the fifty United States of America, located in the north central part of the United States South Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The Vice President of the United States is the first person in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The Governor of New York is the head of the Executive branch of New York 's government and the Commander-in-chief of the state's military Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller ( July 8, 1908 January 26, 1979) was the forty-first Vice President of the United States, the forty-ninth New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous The Twenty-second Amendment ( Amendment XXII) of the United States Constitution sets a Term limit for the President of the United States. In 1960 he remained highly popular, and most historians believe that if he could have run for a third term he would have defeated any of the major Democratic candidates, including Kennedy.

In 1959 it looked as if Vice President Richard Nixon might face a serious challenge for the GOP nomination from New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, the leader of the GOP's moderate-liberal wing. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller ( July 8, 1908 January 26, 1979) was the forty-first Vice President of the United States, the forty-ninth However, Rockefeller announced that he would not be a candidate for president after a national tour revealed that the great majority of Republicans favored Nixon. After Rockefeller's withdrawal, Nixon faced no significant opposition for the Republican nomination. At the 1960 Republican National Convention in Chicago, Nixon was the overwhelming choice of the delegates, with conservative Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona receiving 10 votes from conservative delegates. The 1960 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States was held in Chicago, Illinois, from July 25 to July Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Nixon then chose former Massachusetts Senator and United Nations Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. as his Vice Presidential candidate. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Henry Cabot Lodge Jr ( July 5, 1902 &ndash February 27, 1985) was a Republican United States Senator from Massachusetts

Democratic Convention

The 1960 Democratic National Convention was held in Los Angeles. The 1960 Democratic National Convention was held in Los Angeles. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West In the week before the convention opened, Kennedy received two new challengers when Lyndon B. Johnson, the powerful Senate Majority Leader from Texas, and Adlai Stevenson II, the party's nominee in 1952 and 1956, announced their candidacies. The Senate Majority and Minority Leaders (also called Senate Floor Leaders) are two United States Senators who are elected by the party conferences Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. This is about the mid-20th-century politician and diplomat for other American politicians so named see Adlai Stevenson (disambiguation. However, neither Johnson nor Stevenson was a match for the talented and highly efficient Kennedy campaign team led by Robert Kennedy. Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy (November 20 1925 – June 6 1968 also called RFK, was the United States Attorney General from 1961 to 1964 and a Johnson challenged Kennedy to a televised debate before a joint meeting of the Texas and Massachusetts delegations; Kennedy accepted. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Most observers felt that Kennedy won the debate, and Johnson was not able to expand his delegate support beyond the South. Stevenson was popular among many liberal delegates, especially in California, but his two landslide defeats in 1952 and 1956 led party leaders to search for a "fresh face" who had a better chance of winning. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Kennedy won the nomination on the first ballot. Then, in a move which surprised many, Johnson was asked by Kennedy to be his running mate. To this day there is much debate regarding the details of Johnson's nomination - why it was offered and why he agreed to take it. Some historians speculate that Kennedy actually wanted someone else (such as Senators Stuart Symington or Henry M. Jackson) to be his running mate, and that he offered the nomination to Johnson first only as a courtesy to the powerful Senate Majority Leader. William Stuart Symington ( June 26, 1901 – December 14, 1988) was a businessman and Political figure from Missouri. According to this theory, Kennedy was then surprised when Johnson accepted second place on the Democratic ticket. Another related story is that, after Johnson accepted the offer, Robert Kennedy went to Johnson's hotel suite to dissuade Johnson from becoming the vice-presidential nominee. Johnson was offended that "JFK's kid brother" would brashly urge him to stay off the ticket. In response to his blunt confrontation with Robert Kennedy, Johnson called JFK to confirm that the vice-presidential nomination was his; JFK clearly stated that he wanted Johnson as his running mate. Johnson and Robert Kennedy became so embittered by the experience that they began a fierce personal and political feud that would have grave implications for the Democratic Party in the 1960s. Despite the reservations Robert Kennedy had about Johnson's nomination, the move proved to be a masterstroke for his older brother. Johnson vigorously campaigned for JFK and was instrumental in helping the Democrats to carry several Southern states skeptical of Kennedy, especially Johnson's home state of Texas. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State.

The presidential tally

John F. Kennedy	806
Lyndon Johnson	409
Stuart Symington	86
Adlai Stevenson	79. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of William Stuart Symington ( June 26, 1901 – December 14, 1988) was a businessman and Political figure from Missouri. This is about the mid-20th-century politician and diplomat for other American politicians so named see Adlai Stevenson (disambiguation. 5
Robert B. Meyner	43
Hubert Humphrey	41
George A. Smathers	30
Ross Barnett	23
Herschel Loveless	2
Pat Brown	1
Orval Faubus	1
Albert Rosellini	1

General election

The fall campaign

Both Kennedy and Nixon drew large and enthusiastic crowds throughout the campaign. Robert Baumle Meyner ( July 3, 1908 - May 27, 1990) of Phillipsburg New Jersey was an American Democratic Party Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr ( May 27, 1911 &ndash January 13, 1978) was the thirty-eighth Vice President of the United States, serving George Armistead Smathers (November 14 1913 – January 20 2007 was an American lawyer and politician who represented Florida in the United States Senate Ross Robert Barnett ( January 22, 1898 November 6, 1987) was the Democratic governor of the U Herschel Celiel Loveless ( May 5, 1911 May 4, 1989) was the Democratic Governor of Iowa, from 1957 to 1961 Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown Sr ( April 21, 1905 February 16, 1996) was the 32nd Governor of California, serving Orville Eugene Faubus ( January 7 1910 December 14 1994) was a six-term Democratic Governor of Arkansas, having served from Albert Dean Rosellini (born January 21, 1910) is a lawyer from the U ^[2] In August 1960 most polls gave Vice-President Nixon a slim lead over Kennedy, and many political pundits regarded Nixon as the favorite to win. However, Nixon was plagued by bad luck throughout the fall campaign. In August President Eisenhower, who had long been ambivalent about Nixon, held a televised press conference in which a reporter mentioned Nixon's claims that he had been a valuable administration insider and advisor. The reporter asked Eisenhower if he could think of any Nixon advice or suggestions that he had heeded. Eisenhower responded with the flip comment that "if you give me a week I might think of one. " Although both Eisenhower and Nixon later claimed that Ike was merely joking with the reporter, the remark hurt Nixon, as it undercut his claims of having greater decision-making experience than Kennedy. The remark proved so damaging to Nixon that the Democrats turned Eisenhower's statement into a television commercial criticizing Nixon. At the Republican Convention Nixon had pledged to campaign in all fifty states. This pledge backfired when, in August, Nixon injured his knee on a car door while campaigning in North Carolina; the knee became infected and Nixon had to cease campaigning for two weeks while the infected knee was injected with antibiotics. North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States In modern usage an antibiotic is a Chemotherapeutic agent with activity against Microorganisms such as Bacteria, fungi or Protozoa When he left Walter Reed Hospital Nixon refused to abandon his pledge to visit every state; he thus wound up wasting valuable time visiting states that he had no chance to win, or which had few electoral votes and would be of little help in the election. The Walter Reed National Army Medical Center (WRAMC is the United States Army's medical center on the east coast of the United States.

The key turning point of the campaign were the four Kennedy-Nixon debates; they were the first presidential debates held on television. Nixon insisted on campaigning until just a few hours before the first debate started; he had not completely recovered from his hospital stay and thus looked haggard, sickly, underweight, and tired. He also refused makeup for the first debate, and as a result his beard stubble showed prominently on the era's black-and-white TV screens. Nixon's poor appearance on television in the first debate is reflected by the fact that his mother called him immediately following the debate to ask if he was sick. Kennedy, by contrast, rested before the first debate and appeared tanned, confident, and relaxed during the debate. An estimated 80 million viewers watched the first debate. After it had ended polls showed Kennedy moving from a slight deficit into a slight lead over Nixon. For the remaining three debates Nixon regained his lost weight, wore television makeup, and appeared more forceful than his initial appearance. However, the audience for the remaining three debates was not as large as for the first debate, with viewership decreasing by 20% after the initial debate.

A key factor which hurt Kennedy in the campaign was the widespread prejudice against his Roman Catholic religion; some Protestants believed that, if he were elected President, Kennedy would have to take orders from the Pope in Rome. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 In September 1960 Kennedy gave a well-received speech before a meeting of Protestant ministers in Houston, Texas; in the speech Kennedy promised to obey the separation of church and state and to not allow Catholic officials to dictate public policy to him. Even so, it was widely believed after the election that Kennedy lost some heavily Protestant states because of his Catholicism. As the campaign moved into the final two weeks the polls and most political pundits predicted a Kennedy victory. However, President Eisenhower, who had largely sat out the campaign, made a vigorous campaign tour for Nixon over the last ten days before the election. Eisenhower's support gave Nixon a badly needed boost, and by election day the polls showed a virtual tie.

Results

The election on November 8 remains one of the most famous election nights in American history. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration As the early returns poured in from large Northern and Midwestern cities such as Boston, New York City, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Detroit, and Chicago, Kennedy opened a large lead in the popular and electoral vote, and appeared headed for victory. The City of New York Buffalo (ˈbʌfəloʊ is the second largest city in New York State. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. However, as later returns came in from the Western states and rural and suburban areas in the Midwest, Nixon began to steadily close the gap with Kennedy. Rural areas can be large and isolated (also referred to as "the country" and/or "the countryside over the course of time South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. It was not until the afternoon of Wednesday, November 9 that Nixon finally conceded the election and Kennedy claimed victory. A sample of how close the election was can be seen in California; Kennedy appeared to have carried the state by 37,000 votes when all of the voting precincts reported, but when the absentee ballots were counted a week later, Nixon came from behind to win the state by 36,000 votes. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. An absentee ballot is a Vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official Polling station. In the national popular vote Kennedy beat Nixon by just one tenth of one percentage point (0. 1%) - the closest popular-vote margin of the twentieth century. In the electoral college Kennedy's victory was larger, as he took 303 electoral votes to Nixon's 219 (269 were needed to win). Kennedy carried 11 states by three percentage points or less, while Nixon won 5 states by the same margin. Kennedy carried all but three states in the populous Northeastern US, and he also carried the large states of Michigan, Illinois, and Missouri in the Midwest. Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. Missouri ( or) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee With Lyndon Johnson's help he also carried most of the South, including the large states of North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas. North Carolina ( is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Nixon carried all but three of the Western states, and he ran strong in the farm belt states, where his biggest victory was Ohio. Ohio ( is a Midwestern state of the United States. As part of the Great Lakes region, Ohio has long been a cultural and geographical crossroads The New York Times, summarizing the discussion late in November, spoke of a “narrow consensus” among the experts that Kennedy had won more than he lost as a result of his Catholicism. ^[3] Interviewing people who voted in both 1956 and 1960, a University of Michigan team analyzing the election returns discovered that people who voted Democratic in 1956 split 33–6 for Kennedy, while the Republican voters of 1956 split 44–17 for Nixon. The University of Michigan Ann Arbor ( U of M, U-M, UM or simply Michigan) is a top-ranked Coeducational public research That is, Nixon lost 28% (17/61) of the Eisenhower voters, while Kennedy lost only 15% of the Stevenson voters. The Democrats, in other words, did a better job of holding their base than the Republicans by a razor-thin margin. ^[4]

Controversies

Some Republicans and historians have alleged that Kennedy benefited from vote fraud, especially in Texas and Illinois, and that Nixon actually won the national popular vote despite the fact that Republicans tried and failed to overturn the results in both these states at the time--as well as in nine other states. Electoral fraud is illegal interference with the process of an Election. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. These two states are important because if Nixon had carried both, he would have won the election in the electoral college.

Kennedy won Illinois by a bare 9,000 votes, even though Nixon carried 92 of the state's 101 counties. Kennedy's victory in Illinois came from the city of Chicago, where Mayor Richard J. Daley held back much of Chicago's vote until the late morning hours of November 9. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Richard Joseph Daley ( May 15, 1902 – December 20, 1976) served for 21 years as the undisputed Democratic boss of Chicago The efforts of Daley and the powerful Chicago Democratic organization gave Kennedy an extraordinary Cook County victory margin of 450,000 votes --- more than 10% of Chicago's 1960 population of 3. Cook County is a county in the US state of Illinois. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 55 million^[5] --- thus (barely) overcoming the heavy Republican vote in the rest of Illinois. Earl Mazo, a reporter for the pro-Nixon New York Herald Tribune, investigated the voting in Chicago and claimed to have discovered sufficient evidence of vote fraud to "prove" that the state was stolen for Kennedy. The New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.

In Texas, some Republicans argued that the formidable political machine of Lyndon B. Johnson had stolen enough votes in counties along the Mexican border to give Kennedy the victory there.

Certain Republican party leaders were said to have urged Nixon to pursue recounts and challenge the validity of some votes for Kennedy, especially in the pivotal states of Illinois, Missouri and New Jersey, where large majorities in Catholic precincts handed Kennedy the election. Nixon publicly refused to call for a recount, saying it would cause a constitutional crisis; he also convinced Mazo and the Herald Tribune to not print any stories suggesting that the election had been stolen by the Democrats. A constitutional crisis is a severe breakdown in the orderly operation of Government. Privately, however, Nixon encouraged Republican National Chairman Thruston Morton to push for a recount, which Morton did in 11 states, keeping challenges in the courts into the summer of 1961; the only result was the loss of the State of Hawaii to Kennedy on a recount petitioned by the Kennedy campaign. Thruston Ballard Morton (1907 &ndash 1982 a Republican, represented Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives and the United States The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the

Kennedy partisans, such as historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., have argued that Kennedy's margin in Texas (46,000 votes) was simply too large for vote fraud to have been a decisive factor; in Illinois Schlesinger and others have pointed out that even if Nixon carried Illinois, the state alone would not have given him the victory, as Kennedy would still have won 276 electoral votes to Nixon's 246 (with 269 needed to win). Arthur Meier Schlesinger Jr, born Arthur Bancroft Schlesinger ( October 15 1917 &ndash February 28 2007) was a Pulitzer Prize recipient More to the point, Illinois was the site of the most extensive challenge process, which fell short despite repeated efforts spearheaded by Cook County state's attorney, Benjamin Adamowski, a Republican, who also lost his re-election bid. Despite demonstrating net errors favoring both Nixon and Adamowski (some precincts--40% in Nixon's case--showed errors favoring them, a factor suggesting error, rather than fraud), the totals found fell short of reversing the results for either candidate. The Republican-dominated State Board of Elections unanimously rejected the challenge to the results. Furthermore, there were signs of possible irregularities in downstate areas controlled by Republicans, which Democrats never seriously pressed, since the Republican challenges went nowhere. ^[6]

Alabama popular vote

The actual number of popular votes received by Kennedy in Alabama is difficult to determine because of the unusual situation in that state. Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. The first, minor issue is that, instead of having the voters choose from slates of electors, the Alabama ballot had voters choose the electors individually. The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States. Traditionally, in such a situation, a given candidate is assigned the popular vote of the elector who received the most votes. For instance, candidates pledged to Nixon received anywhere from 230,951 votes (for George Witcher) to 237,981 votes (for Cecil Durham); Nixon is therefore assigned 237,981 popular votes from Alabama.

The more important issue is that the statewide Democratic primary had chosen eleven candidates for the Electoral College, five of whom were pledged to vote for Kennedy, and six of whom were free to vote for anyone they chose. An electoral college is a set of many electors who are empowered to elect a candidate to a particular Office. All of these candidates won, and the six unpledged electors voted against Kennedy. The actual number of popular votes received by Kennedy is therefore difficult to allocate. Traditionally, Kennedy is assigned either 318,303 votes (the votes won by the most popular Kennedy elector) or 324,050 votes (the votes won by the most popular Democratic elector); indeed, the results table below is based on Kennedy winning 318,303 votes in Alabama. However, if any reasonable attempt is made to allocate the popular vote between Kennedy electors and unpledged electors, a plurality of the national popular vote goes to Nixon instead of Kennedy. For instance, if the 324,050 votes mentioned above were split 5 for Kennedy to 6 for unpledged electors, Kennedy would receive 147,295 votes in Alabama for a national popular vote of 34,049,976. In such a scenario, the unpledged Democratic electors would receive 463,113 popular votes: 286,359 from Mississippi and 176,754 from Alabama. ^[7]

Even taking the Alabama totals alone and the vote counts for the other 49 states, Nixon has a 58,181-vote plurality, edging out Kennedy 34,108,157 votes to 34,049,976. Using this calculation without even taking into consideration the alleged occurrences of vote fraud, the 1960 election was even closer than previously thought. ^[8]

Georgia popular vote

The actual number of popular votes received by Kennedy and Nixon in Georgia is also difficult to determine because voters voted for 12 separate electors. The vote totals of 458,638 votes for Kennedy and 274,472 votes for Nixon reflect the number of votes for the Kennedy and Nixon electors who received the highest number of votes. However, the Republican and Democratic electors receiving the highest number of votes were outliers from the other 11 electors from their party. The average vote totals for the 12 electors were 455,629 votes for the Democratic electors and 273,110 votes for the Republican electors. This shrinks Kennedy's election margin in Georgia by 1,647 votes to 182,519. ^[9]

Unpledged Democratic electors

Many Southern Democrats were opposed to the national Democratic Party's platform on supporting civil rights and voting rights for African-Americans living in the South. African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Both before and after the convention, they attempted to put unpledged Democratic electors on their states' ballots in the hopes of influencing the race: the existence of such electors might influence which candidate would be chosen by the national convention, and, in a close race, such electors might be in a position to extract concessions from either the Democratic or Republican presidential candidates in return for their electoral votes. In United States presidential elections an unpledged elector is a member of the Electoral College who has not pledged to support any particular candidate for President

Most of these attempts failed. Alabama put up a mixed slate of five loyal electors and six unpledged electors. Mississippi put up two distinct slates, one of loyalists and one of unpledged electors. Louisiana also put up two distinct slates, although the unpledged slate did not receive the “Democratic” label. Georgia freed its Democratic electors from pledges to vote for Kennedy, but popular Governor Ernest Vandiver, a candidate for elector himself, publicly backed Kennedy. Samuel Ernest Vandiver Jr ( July 3, 1918 &ndash February 21, 2005) was an American Politician who was Governor

In total, fourteen unpledged Democratic electors won election from the voters. In United States presidential elections an unpledged elector is a member of the Electoral College who has not pledged to support any particular candidate for President Because electors pledged to Kennedy had won a clear majority of the Electoral College, the unpledged electors could not influence the results. Nonetheless, they refused to vote for Kennedy. Instead they voted for Virginia Senator Harry F. Byrd, a conservative Democrat, even though Byrd was not an announced candidate and did not seek their votes. The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Harry Flood Byrd Sr ( June 10, 1887 – October 20, 1966) of Berryville in Clarke County Virginia was an American (Byrd also received 1 electoral vote from Oklahoma, for a total of 15. )

Presidential Candidate	Party	Home State	Popular Vote		Electoral Vote	Running Mate	Running Mate's Home State	RM's Electoral Vote
			Count	Pct
John Fitzgerald Kennedy	Democratic	Massachusetts	34,220,984(a)	49. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. 7%	303	Lyndon Baines Johnson	Texas	303
Richard Milhous Nixon	Republican	California	34,108,157	49. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. 5%	219	Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.	Massachusetts	219
Harry Flood Byrd	(none)	Virginia	—(b)	—(b)	15	James Strom Thurmond	South Carolina	14
						Barry Morris Goldwater(c)	Arizona	1(c)
(unpledged electors)	Democratic	(n/a)	286,359	0. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr ( July 5, 1902 &ndash February 27, 1985) was a Republican United States Senator from Massachusetts The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Harry Flood Byrd Sr ( June 10, 1887 – October 20, 1966) of Berryville in Clarke County Virginia was an American The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state James Strom Thurmond ( December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who served as governor of South Carolina and South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. In United States presidential elections an unpledged elector is a member of the Electoral College who has not pledged to support any particular candidate for President The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. 4%	—(d)	(n/a)	(n/a)	—(d)
Orval Faubus	States' Rights	Arkansas	44,984	0. Orville Eugene Faubus ( January 7 1910 December 14 1994) was a six-term Democratic Governor of Arkansas, having served from National States' Rights Party is a Far right party that found a minor role in the Politics of the United States. Arkansas ( is a state located in the southern region of the United States. 1%	0	John G. Crommelin	Alabama	0
Charles Sullivan	Constitution	Mississippi	(TX) 18,162	0. Rear Admiral John Geraerdt Crommelin Jr ( ca 1902 – November 2, 1996) was a prominent United States Navy officer and later a frequent Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. Charles L Sullivan (c 1925 - 1979 was an American politician attorney and military pilot The Constitution Party was a conservative third party in the United States, founded in 1952 Mississippi ( is a state located in the Deep South of the United States 0%	0	Merritt Curtis	California	0
Other			216,982	0. Merritt B Curtis, ( Aug 31, 1892 - May 16 1966 Brigadier General, and lawyer who in 1960 ran for President of the United States in Washington California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. 3%	–	Other		–
Total			68,895,628	100 %	537			537
Needed to win					269			269

There were 537 electoral votes, up from 531 in 1956, because of the addition of 2 U. S. Senators and 1 U. S. Representative from the new states of Alaska and Hawaii. (The House of Representatives was temporarily expanded from 435 members to 437 to accommodate this, and would go back to 435 when reapportioned according to the 1960 census. )

Source (Popular Vote): Leip, David. 1960 Presidential Election Results. Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections (7 February 2008). Events 457 - Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1074 - Battle of Montesarchio in which the Prince 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Note: Sullivan / Curtis run only in Texas. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. In Washington, Constitution Party run Curtis for President and B. Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. N. Miller for vice-president, receiving 1,401 votes.

Source (Electoral Vote): Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996. Official website of the National Archives. (August 2, 2005). Events 338 BC - A Macedonian army led by Philip II defeated the combined forces of Athens and Thebes in the Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Close states

1. Hawaii, 0. 06%
2. Illinois, 0. 19%
3. Missouri, 0. 52%
4. California, 0. 55%
5. New Jersey, 0. 80%
6. New Mexico, 0. 74%
7. Minnesota, 1. 43%
8. Delaware, 1. 64%
9. Alaska, 1. 8%
10. Texas, 2. 00%
11. Michigan, 2. 01%
12. Nevada, 2. 32%
13. Pennsylvania, 2. 32%
14. Washington, 2. 41%
15. South Carolina, 2. 48%
16. Montana, 2. 50%
17. Mississippi, 2. 64%
18. Florida, 3. 03%
19. Wisconsin, 3. 72%
20. North Carolina, 4. 22%
21. New York, 5. 26%
22. Oregon, 5. 24%
23. Virginia, 5. 47%
24. West Virginia, 5. 47%
25. Ohio, 6. 57%
26. New Hampshire, 6. 84%
27. Arkansas, 7. 13%
28. Tennessee, 7. 14%
29. Kentucky, 7. 18%
30. Maryland, 7. 23%
31. Connecticut, 7. 46%
32. Idaho, 7. 57%
33. Utah, 9. 64%
34. Colorado, 9. 73%

^(a) This figure is problematic; see Alabama popular vote above.
^(b) Byrd was not directly on the ballot. Instead, his electoral votes came from unpledged Democratic electors and a faithless elector. In United States presidential elections an unpledged elector is a member of the Electoral College who has not pledged to support any particular candidate for President
^(c) Oklahoma faithless elector Henry D. Irwin, though pledged to vote for Richard Nixon and Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. Faithless electors are members of the Electoral College who do not cast their electoral votes for the people they have pledged to vote for Henry D Irwin was a Republican Presidential Elector (from Oklahoma) for the 1960 U , instead voted for non-candidate Harry F. Byrd. Harry Flood Byrd Sr ( June 10, 1887 – October 20, 1966) of Berryville in Clarke County Virginia was an American However, unlike other electors who voted for Byrd and Strom Thurmond as Vice President, Irwin voted for Barry Goldwater as Vice President. James Strom Thurmond ( December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who served as governor of South Carolina and
^(d) In Mississippi, the slate of unpledged Democratic electors won. They cast their 8 votes for Byrd and Thurmond.

See also

• Canada and the 1960 United States presidential election
• History of the United States (1945–1964)
• United States Senate election, 1960

Notes

Further reading

• Alexander, Herbert E. (1962). Financing the 1960 Election.  
• Campbell, Angus; et al. (1966). Elections and the Political Order, statistical studies of poll data
• Dallek, Robert Gold (1991). "Chapter 16: The Making of a Vice President", Lone Star Rising: Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 1908–1960.  
• Divine, Robert A. Foreign Policy and U. S. Presidential Elections, 1952-1960 1974.
• Fuchs, Lawrence H. (1967). John F. Kennedy and American Catholicism.  
• Gallup, George H. , ed. The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion, 1935-1971. 3 vols. Random House, 1972. press releases
• Ingle, H. Larry, "Billy Graham: The Evangelical in Politics, 1960s-Style," in Peter Bien and Chuck Fager, In Stillness there is Fullness: A Peacemaker's Harvest, Kimo Press.
• Kallina, Edmund F. (1988). Courthouse Over White House: Chicago and the Presidential Election of 1960.  
• Kraus, Sidney (1977). The Great Debates: Kennedy vs. Nixon, 1960.  
• Lisle, T. David (1988). "Southern Baptists and the Issue of Catholic Autonomy in the 1960 Presidential Campaign", in Paul Harper and Joann P. Krieg, ed. : John F. Kennedy: The Promise Revisited, 273–285.  
• Nixon, Richard M. (1978). RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon.  
• White, Theodore H. (1961). The Making of the President, 1960.  

External links

• 1960 popular vote by counties
• 1960 popular vote by states
• 1960 popular vote by states (with bar graphs)
• Gallery of 1960 Election Posters/Buttons
• How close was the 1960 election? - Michael Sheppard, Michigan State University

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