1960 United States elections

{{Infobox United States elections

| year = 1960

| type = Presidential election year

| election_day = November 8

| incumbent_president = Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican)

| next_congress = 87th

| president_control = Democratic gain

| president_candidate1 = John F. Kennedy (D)

| electoral_vote1 = 303

| president_candidate2 = Richard Nixon (R)

| electoral_vote2 = 219

| president_pv_margin = Democratic +0.2%

| president_map = {{United States presidential election, 1960 imagemap}}

| president_map_caption = 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_seats_contested = 35 of 100 seats
(33 Class 2 seats + 3 special elections)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.

| senate_control = Democratic hold

| senate_net_change = Republican +2

| senate_map = {{1960 United States Senate elections imagemap}}

| senate_map_caption = 1960 Senate results{{paragraph break}}

{{legend-inline|#CA0120|Republican gain}}
{{legend-inline|#92C5DE|Democratic hold}} {{legend-inline|#F48882|Republican hold}}
{{legend-inline|#D3D3D3|No election}}

| house_seats_contested = All 437 voting members

| house_control = Democratic hold

| house_pv_margin = Democratic +10%

| house_net_change = Republican +22

| house_map = 400px

| house_map_caption = 1960 House of Representatives results{{paragraph break}}

{{legend-inline|#0671B0|Democratic gain}} {{legend-inline|#CA0120|Republican gain}}
{{legend-inline|#92C5DE|Democratic hold}} {{legend-inline|#F48882|Republican hold}}
{{legend-inline|#D3D3D3|No election}}

| governor_seats_contested = 27

| governor_net_change = Democratic +1

| governor_map = {{1960 United States gubernatorial elections imagemap}}

| governor_map_caption = 1960 gubernatorial election results{{paragraph break}}

}}

Elections were held on November 8, 1960, 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.

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.{{cite web|title=The 1960 Kennedy v. Nixon Election |url=http://cstl-cla.semo.edu/renka/ui320-75/presidents/kennedy/1960_election.asp |publisher=Southeast Missouri State University |access-date=9 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425013942/http://cstl-cla.semo.edu/renka/ui320-75/presidents/kennedy/1960_election.asp |archive-date=April 25, 2012 }}{{cite web|title=Kennedy Wins 1960 Presidential Election|url=http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1960/Kennedy-Wins-1960-Presidential-Election/12295509435928-8/|publisher=United Press International|access-date=9 October 2011}} 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 election cycle in which the winning presidential candidate did not have coattails in either house of Congress.{{cite web|title=1960 Presidential Election|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/showelection.php?year=1960|publisher=The American Presidency Project|access-date=9 April 2017}}{{cite web|title=Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 8, 1960|url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1960election.pdf|publisher=U.S. House of Reps, Office of the Clerk|access-date=9 April 2017}}

References

1960

1960 United States elections

See also

References