1960 United States elections

The 1960 United States elections were held on November 8, and elected the members of the 87th United States Congress. Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon in the presidential election, and although Republicans made gains in both chambers of Congress, the Democratic Party easily maintained control of Congress.

1960 United States elections
1958          1959          1960          1961          1962
Presidential election year
Election dayNovember 8
Incumbent presidentDwight D. Eisenhower (Republican)
Next Congress87th
Presidential election
Partisan controlDemocratic gain
Popular vote marginDemocratic +0.2%
Electoral vote
John F. Kennedy (D)303
Richard Nixon (R)219
1960 United States presidential election in California1960 United States presidential election in Oregon1960 United States presidential election in Washington (state)1960 United States presidential election in Idaho1960 United States presidential election in Nevada1960 United States presidential election in Utah1960 United States presidential election in Arizona1960 United States presidential election in Montana1960 United States presidential election in Wyoming1960 United States presidential election in Colorado1960 United States presidential election in New Mexico1960 United States presidential election in North Dakota1960 United States presidential election in South Dakota1960 United States presidential election in Nebraska1960 United States presidential election in Kansas1960 United States presidential election in Oklahoma1960 United States presidential election in Texas1960 United States presidential election in Minnesota1960 United States presidential election in Iowa1960 United States presidential election in Missouri1960 United States presidential election in Arkansas1960 United States presidential election in Louisiana1960 United States presidential election in Wisconsin1960 United States presidential election in Illinois1960 United States presidential election in Michigan1960 United States presidential election in Indiana1960 United States presidential election in Ohio1960 United States presidential election in Kentucky1960 United States presidential election in Tennessee1960 United States presidential election in Mississippi1960 United States presidential election in Alabama1960 United States presidential election in Georgia1960 United States presidential election in Florida1960 United States presidential election in South Carolina1960 United States presidential election in North Carolina1960 United States presidential election in Virginia1960 United States presidential election in West Virginia1960 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia1960 United States presidential election in Maryland1960 United States presidential election in Delaware1960 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania1960 United States presidential election in New Jersey1960 United States presidential election in New York1960 United States presidential election in Connecticut1960 United States presidential election in Rhode Island1960 United States presidential election in Vermont1960 United States presidential election in New Hampshire1960 United States presidential election in Maine1960 United States presidential election in Massachusetts1960 United States presidential election in Hawaii1960 United States presidential election in Alaska1960 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia1960 United States presidential election in Maryland1960 United States presidential election in Delaware1960 United States presidential election in New Jersey1960 United States presidential election in Connecticut1960 United States presidential election in Rhode Island1960 United States presidential election in Massachusetts1960 United States presidential election in Vermont1960 United States presidential election in New Hampshire
1960 presidential election results. Red denotes states won by Nixon, blue denotes states won by Kennedy, and light blue denotes the electoral votes for Harry F. Byrd. Numbers indicate the electoral votes won by each candidate.
Senate elections
Overall controlDemocratic hold
Seats contested35 of 100 seats
(33 Class 2 seats + 3 special elections)[1]
Net seat changeRepublican +2
1960 United States Senate special election in Missouri1960 United States Senate election in Alabama1960 United States Senate election in Alaska1960 United States Senate election in Arkansas1960 United States Senate election in Colorado1960 United States Senate election in Delaware1960 United States Senate election in Georgia1960 United States Senate election in Idaho1960 United States Senate election in Illinois1960 United States Senate election in Iowa1960 United States Senate election in Kansas1960 United States Senate election in Kentucky1960 United States Senate election in Louisiana1960 United States Senate election in Maine1960 United States Senate election in Massachusetts1960 United States Senate election in Michigan1960 United States Senate election in Minnesota1960 United States Senate election in Mississippi1960 United States Senate election in Montana1960 United States Senate election in Nebraska1960 United States Senate election in New Hampshire1960 United States Senate election in New Jersey1960 United States Senate election in New Mexico1960 United States Senate election in North Carolina1960 United States Senate election in Oklahoma1960 United States Senate election in Oregon1960 United States Senate election in Rhode Island1960 United States Senate election in South Carolina1960 United States Senate election in South Dakota1960 United States Senate election in Tennessee1960 United States Senate election in Texas1960 United States Senate election in Virginia1960 United States Senate election in West Virginia1960 United States Senate election in Wyoming
1960 Senate results
  Republican gain
  Democratic hold   Republican hold
  No election
House elections
Overall controlDemocratic hold
Seats contestedAll 437 voting members
Popular vote marginDemocratic +10%
Net seat changeRepublican +22
1960 House of Representatives results
  Democratic gain   Republican gain
  Democratic hold   Republican hold
  No election
Gubernatorial elections
Seats contested27
Net seat changeDemocratic +1
1960 Rhode Island gubernatorial election1960 Illinois gubernatorial election1960 Wisconsin gubernatorial election1960 Iowa gubernatorial election1960 Arkansas gubernatorial election1960 Kansas gubernatorial election1960 Texas gubernatorial election1960 New Mexico gubernatorial election1960 Arizona gubernatorial election1960 Florida gubernatorial election1960 Massachusetts gubernatorial election1960 Michigan gubernatorial election1960 Nebraska gubernatorial election1960 South Dakota gubernatorial election1960 Minnesota gubernatorial election1960 Maine gubernatorial election1960 Delaware gubernatorial election1960 Indiana gubernatorial election1960 Missouri gubernatorial election1960 Montana gubernatorial election1960 New Hampshire gubernatorial election1960 North Carolina gubernatorial election1960 North Dakota gubernatorial election1960 Utah gubernatorial election1960 Vermont gubernatorial election1960 Washington gubernatorial election1960 West Virginia gubernatorial election
1960 gubernatorial election results
  Democratic gain   Republican gain
  Democratic hold   Republican hold
  No election

In the presidential election, Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy from Massachusetts defeated sitting Republican Vice President Richard Nixon. Kennedy carried a mix of Southern, Midwestern, and Northeastern states, while Nixon dominated the West and won a majority of states. Fourteen unpledged electors from Alabama and Mississippi voted for Democratic Senator Harry F. Byrd from Virginia, as many Southern Democrats opposed the national party's stance on civil rights. Kennedy's popular vote margin of victory was the closest in any presidential election in the 20th century, with Kennedy garnering 0.17% more of the popular vote than his opponent.[2][3] Nixon, the first sitting vice president to win either party's nomination since John C. Breckinridge in 1860, easily won his party's nomination. Sitting Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president in American history to be legally ineligible for re-election, due to the 1951 ratification of the 22nd Amendment. Kennedy won the Democratic nomination on the first ballot, defeating Texas Senator Lyndon B. Johnson. Kennedy's general election victory made him the first Catholic president.

This was the second consecutive presidential election where the winning candidate did not have coattails in either house of Congress.[4][5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ The Class 2 Senate seat in Oregon held concurrent regular and special elections. That special election is not counted as part of the overall total of seats contested.
  2. ^ "The 1960 Kennedy v. Nixon Election". Southeast Missouri State University. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  3. ^ "Kennedy Wins 1960 Presidential Election". United Press International. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  4. ^ "1960 Presidential Election". The American Presidency Project. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  5. ^ "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 8, 1960" (PDF). U.S. House of Reps, Office of the Clerk. Retrieved 9 April 2017.