1960 Elections Kennedy vs Nixon

Senator Kennedy entered seven primaries and won all seven primaries he entered. His victory in West Virginia was particularly important. West Virginia had almost no Catholic voters. JFK's victory there showed he could win anywhere. Kennedy went into the Democratic convention of Los Angeles as the clear front runner. His superb campaign organization guaranteed him the victory on the convention hall. In his acceptance speech, Kennedy stated: "We stand today on the verge on a new frontier; the frontier of the 1960s; a frontier of unknown opportunities and perils; a frontier of unfulfilled hopes and threats." The Republicans in Chicago nominated vice President Richard Nixon.

Kennedy campaigned on the theme of getting the country moving again. He assailed the "missile gap" with the Russians and denounced the Eisenhower administration for allowing a Communist regime to come to power in Cuba.

Nixon criticized Kennedy for his lack of experience. However, Nixon forbade his staff from bringing up the question of Kennedy's religion (JFK was Catholic). Despite that fact, Kennedy's faith remained an issue. The final analysis of the election showed that Kennedy's religion ended up helping him more than it hurt him.

Participation of Eligible Voters 64%

Democratic Convention
Republican Convention

A More In Depth View of Election

 

State results in 1956

Electoral Results in 1960

Alabama John F Kennedy 324,050 56.8 Richard Nixon 237,981 41.7
Alaska John F Kennedy 29,809 49.1 Richard Nixon 30,953 50.9
Arizona John F Kennedy 176,781 44.4 Richard Nixon 221,241 55.5
Arkansas John F Kennedy 215,049 50.2 Richard Nixon 184,508 43.1
California John F Kennedy 3,224,099 49.6 Richard Nixon 3,259,722 50.1
Colorado John F Kennedy 330,629 44.9 Richard Nixon 402,242 54.6
Connecticut John F Kennedy 657,055 53.7 Richard Nixon 565,813 46.3
Delaware John F Kennedy 99,590 50.6 Richard Nixon 96,373 49.0
Florida John F Kennedy 748,700 48.5 Richard Nixon 795,476 51.5
Georgia John F Kennedy 458,638 62.5 Richard Nixon 274,472 37.4
Hawaii John F Kennedy 92,410 50.0 Richard Nixon 92,295 50.0
Idaho John F Kennedy 138,853 46.2 Richard Nixon 161,597 53.8
Illinois John F Kennedy 2,377,846 50.0 Richard Nixon 2,368,988 49.8
Indiana John F Kennedy 952,358 44.6 Richard Nixon 1,175,120 55.0
Iowa John F Kennedy 550,565 43.2 Richard Nixon 722,381 56.7
Kansas John F Kennedy 363,213 39.1 Richard Nixon 561,474 60.4
Kentucky John F Kennedy 521,855 46.4 Richard Nixon 602,607 53.6
Louisiana John F Kennedy 407,339 50.4 Richard Nixon 230,980 28.6
Maine John F Kennedy 181,159 43.0 Richard Nixon 240,608 57.0
Maryland John F Kennedy 565,808 53.6 Richard Nixon 489,538 46.4
Massachusetts John F Kennedy 1,487,174 60.2 Richard Nixon 976,750 39.6
Michigan John F Kennedy 1,687,269 50.9 Richard Nixon 1,620,428 48.8
Minnesota John F Kennedy 779,933 50.6 Richard Nixon 757,915 49.2
Mississippi John F Kennedy 108,362 36.3 Richard Nixon 73,561 24.7
Missouri John F Kennedy 972,201 50.3 Richard Nixon 962,221 49.7
Montana John F Kennedy 134,891 48.6 Richard Nixon 141,841 51.1
Nebraska John F Kennedy 232,542 37.9 Richard Nixon 380,553 62.1
Nevada John F Kennedy 54,880 51.2 Richard Nixon 52,387 4&8
New Hampshire John F Kennedy 137,772 46.6 Richard Nixon 157,989 53.4
New Jersey John F Kennedy 1,385,415 50.0 Richard Nixon 1,363,324 49.2
New Mexico John F Kennedy 156,027 50.2 Richard Nixon 153,733 49.4
New York John F Kennedy 3,830,085 52.5 Richard Nixon 3,446,419 47.3
North Carolina John F Kennedy 713,136 52.1 Richard Nixon 655,420 47.9
North Dakota John F Kennedy 123,963 44.5 Richard Nixon 154,310 55.4
Ohio John F Kennedy 1,944,248 46.7 Richard Nixon 2,217,611 53.3
Oklahoma John F Kennedy 370,111 41.0 Richard Nixon 533,039 59.0
Oregon John F Kennedy 367,402 47.3 Richard Nixon 408,060 52.6
Pennsylvania John F Kennedy 2,556,282 51.1 Richard Nixon 2,439,956 48.7
Rhode Island John F Kennedy 258,032 63.6 Richard Nixon 147,502 36.4
South Carolina John F Kennedy 198,129 51.2 Richard Nixon 188,558 48.8
South Dakota John F Kennedy 128,070 41.8 Richard Nixon 178,417 58.2
Tennessee John F Kennedy 481,453 45.8 Richard Nixon 556,577 52.9
Texas John F Kennedy 1,167,567 50.5 Richard Nixon 1,121,310 48.5
Utah John F Kennedy 169,248 45.2 Richard Nixon 205,361 54.8
Vermont John F Kennedy 69,186 41.3 Richard Nixon 98,131 58.6
Virginia John F Kennedy 362,327 47.0 Richard Nixon 404,521 52.4
Washington John F Kennedy 599,298 48.3 Richard Nixon 629,273 50.7
West Virginia John F Kennedy 441,786 52.7 Richard Nixon 395,995 47.3
Wisconsin John F Kennedy 830,805 48.0 Richard Nixon 895,175 51.8
Wyoming John F Kennedy 63,331 45.0 Richard Nixon 77,451 55.0

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