[72] Some Republicans argued, without evidence, that Johnson's formidable political machine had stolen enough votes in counties along the Mexican border to give Kennedy the victory. The Eisenhower administration had established NASA in 1958, but Kennedy believed that the Republican Party had ignored the need to catch up to the Soviet Union in the Space Race. There was a call from segregationists for electoral votes to be withheld, or to be cast for Virginia senator Harry F. Byrd, a segregationist Democrat, as an independent candidate. In his visit to Warm Springs, state troopers tried to keep Kennedy from an immense crowd; however, Kennedy reached out to shake hands of those who were sick with polio. He chose not to, however, declaring: I could think of no worse example for nations abroad, who for the first time were trying to put free electoral procedures into effect, than that of the United States wrangling over the results of our presidential election, and even suggesting that the presidency itself could be stolen by thievery at the ballot box. But Coulter also cited Richard Nixon's loss of the presidential election in 1960 as yet another stolen election an equally unfounded right-wing myth that has remarkably been accepted by the . Why, one may wonder, does all this serious scholarly attention still get paid to a single electoral. He realized that he could not be elected without the support of traditional Southern Democrats, most of whom had backed Johnson. In his victory speech, he declared: "To all Americans, I say that the next four years are going to be difficult and challenging years for us all; that a supreme national effort will be needed to move this country safely through the 1960s. Some Protestants, especially Southern Baptists and Lutherans, feared that having a Catholic in the White House would give undue influence to the Pope in the nation's affairs. [73] The recount, completed before Christmas, resulted in Kennedy being declared winner by 115 votes. The average vote totals for the 12 electors were 455,629 for the Democratic electors, and 273,110 for the Republican electors. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Eisenhower responded with the flip comment, "If you give me a week, I might think of one. Schlesinger and others have pointed out that even if Nixon had carried Illinois, the state would not have given him a victory, as Kennedy would still have won 276 electoral votes, to Nixon's 246. He had not completely recovered from his stay in hospital, and thus looked pale, sickly, under-weight, and tired. Richard M. Nixon. Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Other Democratic candidates, avowed or unavowed, included Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas, the Democratic leader in the Senate; Sen. Stuart W. Symington of Missouri, former secretary of the air force; and Adlai E. Stevenson, former governor of Illinois, who had been the Democratic nominee in 1952 and 1956. His second term expired at noon on January 20, 1969. Nixon refused to take further action, but Kennedy placed calls to local political authorities to get King released from jail, and he also called King's father and wife. Nixon carried all but three of the Western states (including California), and he ran strong in the farm belt states, where his biggest victory was in Ohio. [17] In August 1960, most polls gave Nixon a slim lead over Kennedy, and many political pundits regarded him as the favorite to win. A Gallup poll in late August put . Legal challenges eventually brought the race before the U.S. Supreme Court, where calls for a recount were . ", Rorabaugh, William J. "[21] However, Kennedy would not let Nixon take the Democratic states that easily. The legend of the stolen 1960 presidential election", "Was the 1960 Presidential Election Stolen? Even though Stevenson had twice been the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, and retained a loyal following of liberals, his two landslide defeats to Republican United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower led most party leaders and delegates to search for a "fresh face" who could win a national election. Kennedy also defeated Morse in the Maryland and Oregon primaries. Nixon, the first presidential nominee to campaign in every state, emphasized that he would carry on the basic policies of the Eisenhower administration, but he also indicated that he would improve upon them in such areas as welfare programs, foreign aid, and defense. Ultimately, Kennedy won 303 electoral votes to Nixon's 219, and was . The "JFK owed the mob" thing originated with noted truth-teller Sam Giancana and inexplicably caught on. [69] Mazo, Nixon's conservative reporter friend, later claimed, without evidence, that he "found names of the dead who had voted in Chicago, along with 56 people from one house". [61], The issue that dominated the election was the rising Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. Eisenhower's support gave Nixon a badly needed boost. . This made it the only presidential election where the threshold for victory was 269 electoral votes. "[80], There were widespread allegations of vote fraud, especially in Texas, where his running mate Lyndon B. Johnson was Senator, and Illinois, home of Mayor Richard Daley's powerful Chicago political machine. 5 Remarkably Close U.S. Presidential Elections | Britannica Kennedy and Nixon both used set speeches in their public appearances. However, Nixon was plagued by bad luck throughout the fall campaign. Both nominees were principal figures in the session, which was held in a politically charged atmosphere. The 1960 United States presidential election was the 44th quadrennial presidential election. John F. Kennedy asked Governor Ernest Vandiver to look into the harsh sentencing, and stated his claim that he did not want to have to get involved in Georgia's justice system. "[18] Although both Eisenhower and Nixon later claimed that he was merely joking with the reporter, the remark hurt Nixon, as it undercut his claims of having greater decision-making experience than Kennedy. For the first time ever, split-screen technology was used to bring two people from opposite sides of the country together so they were able to converse in real time. Nixons supporters and critics alike, both then and later, praised him for the dignity and unselfishness with which he handled defeat and the suspicion that vote fraud had cost him the presidency. It found that while there was a pattern of miscounting votes to the advantage of Democratic candidates, Nixon suffered less from this than Republicans in other races, and, furthermore, the extrapolated error would only have reduced his Illinois margin from 8,858 votes (the final official total) to just under 8,000. Then, Nixon won the 1968 election. . In 1960, Nixon narrowly lost the presidential election race to Kennedy by 0.2 percent of the popular vote. [39] Indeed, one study has speculated that the viewer/listener disagreement could be due to sample bias, in that those without TV could be a skewed subset of the population:[40], Evidence in support of this belief [i. e., that Kennedy's physical appearance over-shadowed his performance during the first debate] is mainly limited to sketchy reports about a market survey, conducted by Sindlinger & Company, in which 49% of those who listened to the debates on radio said Nixon had won, compared to 21% naming Kennedy, while 30% of those who watched the debates on television said Kennedy had won, compared to 29% naming Nixon. Was the 1960 Election Stolen? It's More Likely than You - Medium Watch Democrats campaigning in the 1960 U.S. presidential primaries, See how Kennedy emerged from a crowded field to become the Democratic Party's 1960 presidential nominee. The 1960 presidential election was the closest election since 1916, and this closeness can be explained by a number of factors. Though Republican control of the chamber lasted only one Congress, the large class of 91 . Nixon made one of the most successful political comebacks in history The United States presidential election of 1960 marked the end of Dwight D. Eisenhower's two terms as President. In the Electoral College, Kennedy's victory was larger, as he took 303 electoral votes, to Nixon's 219. John F. Kennedy: Campaigns and Elections | Miller Center He never faced any serious opposition. He admired Roosevelt, and commended him for sticking up for the farmers, workers, small towns, big cities, those in poverty, and those who were sick. Nixon visited Atlanta, Georgia, on August 26, and acquired a very large turnout to his event. state total vote: kennedy: nixon: hass: unpledged: other: plurality: alabama: 570225: 324050 (58.8%) 237981 (41.7%)----8194 (1.4%) 86069 d alaska: 60762: 29809 (49.1%) Both Humphrey and Kennedy campaigned energetically in that state, which borders Humphreys home state of Minnesota. November 8, 2010. Several other candidates sought support in their home state or region as "favorite son" candidates, without any realistic chance of winning the nomination. Nixon asserted that his experience in politics made him more qualified to hold the office of president. Nixon also criticized Kennedy for stating that Quemoy and Matsu, two small islands off the coast of Communist China that were held by Nationalist Chinese forces based in Taiwan, were outside the treaty of protection the United States had signed with the Nationalist Chinese. The party platform adopted at Los Angeles promised to expand the countrys defense and foreign aid programs. [50] The religious issue was so significant that Kennedy made a speech before the nation's newspaper editors in which he criticized the prominence they gave to the religious issue over other topics especially in foreign policy that he felt were of greater importance. So close was the popular vote that a shift of 18,858 votes in Illinois and Missouri, both won by Kennedy by less than 1%, would have left both Kennedy and Nixon short of the 269 electoral votes required to win, thus forcing a contingent election in the House of Representatives. [49] Radio evangelists such as G. E. Lowman wrote that, "Each person has the right to their own religious belief [but] the Roman Catholic ecclesiastical system demands the first allegiance of every true member, and says in a conflict between church and state, the church must prevail". Did John F. Kennedy and the Democrats Steal the 1960 Election? [64], Both candidates also argued about the economy and ways in which they could increase the economic growth and prosperity of the 1950s, and make it accessible to more people (especially minorities). The 1960 United States presidential election in Illinois took place on November 8, 1960, as part of the 1960 United States presidential election. Bill Shadel moderated the debate from a different television studio in Los Angeles. Throughout the primaries and the fall campaign, Kennedys religion was a dominant issue. Fourteen unpledged electors from Mississippi and Alabama cast their vote for Senator Harry F. Byrd, as did a faithless elector from Oklahoma. [85] More than a month after the election, the Republican National Committee abandoned its Illinois voter fraud claims. Late on election night in 1960 (after midnight in California), Nixon broke the silence in a nationally televised speech saying, "while there are still some results to come in, if the present. Louisiana also put up two distinct slates, although the unpledged slate did not receive the "Democratic" label. [21], In Warm Springs, Kennedy spoke to supporters at the facility, and mentioned Roosevelt in his speech. Also known as: presidential election of 1960. Nixon watched the election returns from his suite at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, while Kennedy watched them at the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. "The Election of 1960." [62] Public opinion polls revealed that more than half the American people thought that war with the Soviet Union was inevitable. However, using this method gives a combined voting total that is much higher than the actual number of votes cast for the Democrats in Alabama. Had Nixon been elected, at 48 years, 11 days, he would have been the fourth-youngest president at the date of inauguration. The 1960 United States elections was held on November 8, and elected the members of the 87th United States Congress. It was apparent throughout the campaign that the election would be close. Their first significant primary was in Wisconsin in April. On December 30, the circuit court ruled that Hawaii's three electoral votes should go to Kennedy. He told his friend, journalist Earl Mazo, that "our country cannot afford the agony of a constitutional crisis." (Mazo had written a series of articles about voter fraud after the 1960 election, which he stopped at Nixon's request.) [5] Nixon's advantages came from Eisenhower's popularity, as well as the economic prosperity of the past eight years. Kennedy, by contrast, was 43 years, 236 days, on the date of his inauguration; the second-youngest man to begin a Presidency. The election was close. When he did accept Robert Kennedy tried to change Johnson's mind and failed. Roosevelt spent time at the rehabilitation facility, and died there in 1945. The first televised debate of 1960 was held in West Virginia. He offered Johnson the vice presidential nomination at the Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel at 10:15a.m. on July 14, 1960, the morning after being nominated for president. Kennedy was also the first president born in the 20th century. The election of 1960 brought to the forefront a generation of politicians born in the twentieth century, pitting the 47-year-old Republican vice president Richard M. Nixon against the 43-year-old Democratic challenger John F. Kennedy. Instead, they voted for Byrd, even though he was not an announced candidate and did not seek their votes. In August, President Eisenhower, who had long been ambivalent about Nixon, held a televised press conference in which a reporter, Charles Mohr of Time, mentioned Nixon's claims that he had been a valuable administration insider and adviser. He also was a key figure in determining Republican strategy in a Congress that was controlled by the Democrats. In addition, Byrd received one electoral vote from a faithless Republican elector in Oklahoma, for a total of 15 electoral votes. Wilson also obtained a slim margin in the Electoral College, winning 277 to 254. . The New York Times, summarizing the discussion in late November, spoke of a "narrow consensus" among the experts that Kennedy had won more than he lost "as a result of his Catholicism",[78] as Northern Catholics flocked to Kennedy because of attacks on his religion. In a closely contested election, Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy defeated the incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon, the Republican nominee. 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 of winning, that had few electoral votes and would be of little help at the election, or states that he would almost certainly win regardless. The Democrats in Mississippi put up two distinct slates one of Kennedy loyalists, and one of unpledged electors. Kennedy was expert at using this to his advantage and flattered reporters instead of arguing with them. [13], Biographers Robert Caro and W. Marvin Watson offer a different perspective: They write that the Kennedy campaign was desperate to win what was forecast to be a very close race against Nixon and Lodge. The 1960 presidential race was one of the closest elections in U.S. history, but 50 years ago today, John F. Kennedy won the White House. In a closely contested election, Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy defeated the incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon, the Republican nominee. Among them was a pledge, made without approval, that Nixon would name at least one African American to a Cabinet post. Consequently, a recount of the votes, if it was even possible, would take months, during which time the nation would be left without a president. Gov. [72] These two states were important because if Nixon had carried both, he would have earned 270 electoral votes, one more than the 269 needed to win the presidency. Did the 1960 Presidential Debates Really Matter? [77] Kennedy carried 12 states by three percentage points, or less, while Nixon won six by similarly narrow margins. [32] Nixon's poor appearance on television in the first debate was reflected by the fact that his mother called him immediately following the debate to ask if he was sick. He also planned for the government to loan students money to attend medical school, and provide grants to renovate old hospitals. This in many ways foreshadowed the results of subsequent elections, in which Democratic candidates from northern states would rely on their performance in the northeast and midwest to win, while Republican candidates would rely on success in the former Solid South and the Mountain West. [63] He proposed a bi-partisan congressional investigation about the possibility that the Soviet Union was ahead of the United States in developing missiles. Kennedy won Illinois by less than 9,000 votes, out of 4.75million cast, a margin of 0.2%. In his effort to visit all 50 states, Nixon spent the vital weekend before the election campaigning in Alaska, which had only three electoral votes, while Kennedy campaigned in more populous states such as New Jersey, Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. Bearing in mind that the highest Republican/Nixon elector in Alabama got 237,981 votes, this third method of calculating the Alabama vote means that Nixon wins the popular vote in Alabama, and wins the popular vote in the USA overall, as it would give Kennedy 34,049,976 votes nationally, and Nixon 34,108,157 votes nationally. The Democratic voters of Alabama were faced with voting multiple individual electors in a singular slate that featured both pledged and unpledged electors. Vote tallying was marred by inconsistencies, particularly in Florida, where Al Gore demanded a recount. The 1960 presidential election was the closest and the most controversial of the twentieth century. There are typically three methods that can be used. Presidential Elections - HISTORY However, disarray within the Texas Democratic Party from JFK's policies prompted a trip to make sure Texas stayed blue in 1964. Furthermore, the debate set appeared darker once the paint dried up, causing Nixon's suit color to blend in with the background, reducing his stature. "Presidential Republicanism in the South, 1960. [62], Kennedy took advantage of increased Cold War tension by emphasizing a perceived "missile gap" between the United States and Soviet Union. The results of the 1960 U.S. presidential election are provided in the table. [70] It was not until the afternoon of the next day that Nixon finally conceded the election, and Kennedy claimed his victory. The Washington Post It was a bitter, close election, and there were furious allegations of fraud. The faithless Republican elector in Oklahoma voted for Barry Goldwater as vice president; whereas the 14 unpledged Democratic electors from Mississippi and Alabama voted for Strom Thurmond as vice president. It concluded there was insufficient evidence that he had been cheated out of winning Illinois, A special prosecutor assigned to the case brought charges against 650 people, which did not result in convictions. See the 1960 Electoral College certificates that the false Trump [72], Similarly, in Hawaii, official results showed Nixon winning by a small margin of 141 votes, with the state being called for him early Wednesday morning. Campaign of 1960 | JFK Library Mohr asked Eisenhower if he could give an example of a major idea of Nixon's that he had heeded. As such, this was also the most recent election in which the defeated presidential nominee would later win the presidency. Johnson, however, hoped to wrest the nomination from Kennedy. [23] Nevertheless, many residents of Warm Springs were supportive of Kennedy, with women wearing hats reading "Kennedy and Johnson" and[24] signs around the town saying "Douglas County For Kennedy, Except 17 Republicans 6 Old Grouches". 27 Jun 2023 22:50:40 Kennedy said that the United States was falling behind the Soviet Union in the race for world supremacy and that the United States must do better. He pointed to the regime of Fidel Castro in Cubajust ten minutes by jet from the United States. Kennedy also stressed the need for programs to deal with unemployment in chronically depressed areas and for more rapid U.S. economic growth. The House of Representatives was temporarily expanded from 435 members to 437, to accommodate this, and went back to 435 when re-apportioned, according to the 1960 census. Who Really Won the 1960 Election? | History News Network Nixon: The Presidential Election of 1960 (Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2010). In total, 14 unpledged Democratic electors won election from the voters and chose not to vote for Kennedy, eight from Mississippi and six from Alabama. [62] Soon afterwards, some American leaders warned that the nation was falling behind communist countries in science and technology. [69] Three Chicago election workers were convicted of voter fraud in 1962, and served short terms in jail. Moreover, since 87% of American households had a television in 1960 [and that the] fraction of Americans lacking access to television in 1960 was concentrated in rural areas, and particularly in southern and western states, places that were unlikely to hold significant proportions of Catholic voters.[35].
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