1960 United States presidential election
| President: | John F. Kennedy (Democrat) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Opponent: | Richard M. Nixon (Republican) | ||
| Electoral Vote: | Winner: 303 | Main Opponent: 219 | Total/Majority: 537/269 |
| Popular Vote: | Winner: 34,107,646 | Main Opponent: 34,227,096 | |
| Votes for Others: | Harry F. Byrd (15) | ||
| Vice President: | Lyndon Johnson (303) | ||
| V.P. Opponents: | Henry Cabot Lodge (219), J. Strom Thurmond (14), Barry Goldwater (1) | ||
| Other elections | 1948, 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972 | ||
| Source: U.S. Office of the Federal Register | |||
Notes:
A crucial factor in this election was the first televised presidential debate. Nixon refused television makeup and was feeling sick, having injured his knee on the way to the studio. He expected to win voters with his foreign-policy expertise, but people only saw a sickly man sweating profusely and wearing a gray suit that blended into the scenery while his rival, Kennedy, looked great. Later research showed that those who had listened to the debate on radio thought Nixon had won, but that the television audience gave the win to Kennedy.
Byrd received electoral votes for President from Alabama (6), Mississippi (8) and Oklahoma (1). Thurmond received electoral votes for Vice President from Alabama (6) and Mississippi (8). Goldwater received 1 electoral vote for Vice President from Oklahoma. John F. Kennedy was assassinated November 22, 1963. He was succeeded by Lyndon B. Johnson.
Note that Nixon actually received more votes than Kennedy, but the division of votes was nevertheless such that Kennedy won the election. A similar occurrence happened again in the 2000 Election, with Al Gore losing although he got more votes than George W. Bush
See also: President of the United States, U.S. presidential election, 1960