Viva Kennedy Campaign facts for kids

The Viva Kennedy Campaign was a special effort by Senator John F. Kennedy to connect with Mexican American voters. This happened between 1959 and 1963, when Kennedy was running for president. The campaign created many local clubs across the Southwest. These clubs worked to help Latino people register to vote. They also encouraged more Latino voters to support Kennedy in the 1960 Presidential election against Richard Nixon.

Why the Viva Kennedy Campaign Started

In the 1960s, many Mexican Americans could have voted. However, there were high "poll taxes," which were fees people had to pay to vote. This made it hard for many Mexican Americans with lower incomes to afford to vote. Also, some people felt that the politicians running for office were not fair or welcoming to Mexican Americans.

Many Mexican-American soldiers who fought in World War II and the Korean War expected to be treated equally when they returned home. But they often faced unfair treatment. This made them want to fight for changes in society.

How Dr. Héctor P. García Helped

A doctor and army veteran named Dr. Héctor P. García started a civil rights group called the American GI Forum (AGIF). This group helped veterans and others. It began in Texas and spread to other states. These AGIF groups later became a model for the Viva Kennedy clubs.

Carlos McCormick's Idea

In 1960, a campaign worker named Carlos McCormick had an important idea. He was half Irish American and half Mexican American. He convinced Senator Kennedy that reaching out to Mexican-American voters was a good idea. McCormick knew about the many Mexican-American activist groups in the Southwest. He told Kennedy that these voters could make a big difference.

Kennedy then asked McCormick to organize a special group to connect with Mexican Americans. This is how the Viva Kennedy clubs began! McCormick worked with groups like AGIF and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).

What the Viva Kennedy Campaign Did

The Viva Kennedy campaign mostly focused on states in the Southwest, like Texas, Arizona, and Southern California. The local Viva Kennedy clubs planned their own events to get people involved.

Reaching Out to Voters

The campaign used several ways to connect with Latino communities.

• John F. Kennedy talked about unfair treatment against Puerto Ricans and Mexican Americans during his first TV debate with Richard Nixon.
• Kennedy's wife, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, spoke Spanish. She even made campaign commercials in Spanish to reach voters who spoke the language.

Campaign Goals

The main goals of the Viva Kennedy clubs were:

• To help Mexican Americans register to vote.
• To share Kennedy's message across the Southwest.
• To show everyone, especially the media, that Mexican Americans were an important group of voters.
• Most importantly, to get Mexican-American votes for Kennedy in the 1960 election.

Many Hispanic people supported Kennedy because the Democratic Party supported important ideas. These included fair housing, equal opportunities, and voting rights for everyone.

Connecting with Voters

Carlos McCormick used some things about Kennedy to appeal to Mexican customs. Kennedy was Catholic, a war hero, and came from a large family. His wife also spoke Spanish. These things helped connect with Mexican-American families, who often valued large families and Catholicism.

Lasting Impact of the Campaign

The Viva Kennedy Campaign had a big impact on politics in the United States.

• Many politicians realized they could no longer ignore Mexican-American voters.
• The campaign helped create a stronger sense of unity among Mexican Americans.
• It also started a long-lasting relationship between Mexican Americans and the Democratic Party.

The success of this campaign influenced later presidents, like George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. They also reached out to the Latino community to gain their support.

New Political Groups

As a result of the Viva Kennedy Campaign, a new group was formed called the Political Association of Spanish-Speaking Organizations (PASSO). This group helped Mexican Americans become even more involved in politics.

Later Campaigns

The campaign was sometimes called the Viva Kennedy–Viva Johnson Campaign because Lyndon B. Johnson was Kennedy's running mate. When Johnson ran for president in 1964, he started his own "Viva Johnson" campaign. It was based on the Viva Kennedy model to reach Hispanic voters.

Richard Nixon, who lost to Kennedy in 1960, later realized his mistake in not reaching out to the Hispanic community. In 1968, he started his own "Viva Nixon" effort, similar to Kennedy's campaign. This was one of the few times the Republican party made a big effort to connect with Spanish-speaking voters.