How Did John F Kennedy Win The Election Of 1960s

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Election of 1960

The Presidential Election of 1960, was the 44th election that took place on November 8th, 1960. It was a close competition between Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard Nixon. The elected president from this presidential election process was John F. Kennedy.

Election of 1960
Background
Important People
John F. Kennedy
Richard Nixon
Important Events
Presidential Debate
Sources

Date: November 8th, 1960
Conflict: Presidential Election
Location: The United States
Combatants: John F. Kennedy vs. Richard Nixon
Important Participants:
John F. Kennedy
Richard Nixon
Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.
Lyndon B. Johnson
Harry F. Byrd
Outcome: John F. Kennedy wins the presidential election, becoming president.

Background …show more content…

Kennedy. Kennedy won the electoral vote 303 to 219, and won the popular vote by a slim 100,000 votes. It was the first televised election, and this factor played a huge role in Kennedy’s success. This election was also the first in which all 50 states participated and was also the first in which both candidates were born in the 20th century. In his campaign, Kennedy mentioned that under the Republicans, the nation had fallen under the Soviet Union, and that as president, he would recognize the need to catch up to the Soviets. He also said that it was important to focus on space advancements and accomplishments against the Soviet Union. Nixon made similar promises, and made mentions that Kennedy was too inexperienced to handle the presidency. Nixon was definitely the more experienced candidate in this case and could use that to portray himself as a more reliable and trustworthy candidate. Nixon’s campaigning did not match up to Kennedy’s and it was apparent that his experience didn’t carry him …show more content…

Nixon chose former Massachusetts senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. as his running mate. Lodge was his choice because of his knowledge on foreign policy coordinated with his style of campaigning and Nixon thought that it would appeal to democrats. He used his experience and emphasized it during the election to portray himself as more reliable. He took shots at Kennedy mentioning his young age and by saying that he was not experienced enough to handle the presidency, even though Kennedy was only four years younger than