United States presidential election, 1960 Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
United States presidential election, 1960

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November 8, 1960

1964 →


Nominee	John F. Kennedy	Richard Nixon
Party	Democrat	Republican
Home state	Massachusetts	California
Running mate	Lyndon B. Johnson	Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
Electoral vote	303	219
States carried	22	26
Popular vote	34,220,984	34,108,157
Percentage	49.7%	49.6%

Presidential election results map. Blue denotes states won by Kennedy/Johnson, Red denotes those won by Nixon/Lodge. Orange denotes the electoral votes for Harry F. Byrd by Alabama and Mississippi unpledged electors, and an Oklahoma "faithless elector". Numbers indicate the number of electoral votes allotted to each state.

President before election

Dwight D. Eisenhower
Republican

Elected President

John F. Kennedy
Democrat

The 1960 United States presidential election was a big race. It was between Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon. Kennedy won, but it was a very close election. Many people thought it would be an easy win for Kennedy.

The president at the time, Dwight D. Eisenhower, could not run again. This was because of a rule that limits presidents to two terms. This rule is part of the U.S. Constitution.

This election was special because of television. It was the first time that both main candidates debated on TV. Kennedy looked calm and confident during the debates. Nixon, however, seemed a bit nervous. People who watched on TV often thought Kennedy won. But those who listened on the radio often thought Nixon won. This showed how important TV was becoming.

This election was also the last one where District of Columbia did not have electoral votes. They got their votes starting with the 1964 election.

Kennedy announced he wanted to be president on January 2, 1960. Nixon announced his plans just a week later, on January 9, 1960.

Who Ran for President?
- Democratic Party Candidates
  - Democratic Candidates Gallery
- Republican Party Candidates
  - Republican Candidates Gallery
Images for kids
See also

Who Ran for President?

Many people wanted to become president in 1960. Here are some of the main candidates from the two biggest parties.

Democratic Party Candidates

The Democratic Party had several people hoping to be their candidate.

John F. Kennedy, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts.
Lyndon B. Johnson, the leader of the U.S. Senate from Texas.
Stuart Symington, a U.S. senator from Missouri.
Adlai Stevenson, who used to be the governor of Illinois.
Hubert Humphrey, a U.S. senator from Minnesota.
Wayne Morse, a U.S. senator from Oregon.
Pat Brown, the governor of California.

Democratic Candidates Gallery

Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts
Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas
Senator Stuart Symington of Missouri
Former Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois
Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota
Senator Wayne Morse of Oregon
Governor Pat Brown of California

Republican Party Candidates

The Republican Party also had people who wanted to be their candidate.

Richard Nixon, the U.S. vice president from California.
Nelson Rockefeller, the governor of New York.
Barry Goldwater, a U.S. senator from Arizona.

Republican Candidates Gallery

Vice President Richard Nixon of California
Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York
Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona

Images for kids

Kennedy campaigning in LaGrange, Georgia, October 1960
Second of the four Kennedy and Nixon debates, which took place at WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. on October 7, 1960
Kennedy cast his ballot at his polling place at a branch of the Boston Public Library.
Results by county explicitly indicating the percentage for the winning candidate. Shades of blue are for Kennedy (Democratic), shades of red are for Nixon (Republican), and shades of green are for Unpledged Electors (Democratic/States' Rights).
Presidential election results by county
Democratic presidential election results by county
Republican presidential election results by county
Unpledged Electors presidential election results by county
"Other" presidential election results by county
Cartogram of presidential election results by county
Cartogram of Democratic presidential election results by county
Cartogram of Republican presidential election results by county
Cartogram of Unpledged Electors presidential election results by county
Cartogram of "Other" presidential election results by county