MAY 20, 2012
GOING NATIONWIDE III
Knoxville, Tennessee (JFK+50) Today we conclude our report on Chapter 5 of the book by Kenneth P. O'Donnell & David F. Powers with Joe McCarthy. It is published by Little, Brown & Company.
The title of Chapter 5 is GOING NATIONWIDE.
Kenneth O'Donnell says that JFK's reelection campaign in 1958 was "the hardest of all the Kennedy campaigns to manage."
This was because Senator Kennedy desired to receive a record-breaking number of votes which would impress the national Democratic Party leaders.
Jack's opponent was Vincent J. Celeste, an East Boston lawyer who ran against JFK for Congress in 1950.
Adding to Kenny's troubles was the fact that JFK wanted to accomplish his big victory & in the process "spend as little money as possible on the campaign."
There would be only one KENNEDY HEADQUARTERS & that was located on Tremont Street in Boston.
It would be directed by brother Teddy & sister Jean's husband, Steve Smith.
Because JFK was also campaigning for the Presidential nomination of 1960, he spent only 17 days in Massachusetts between the primary & general elections.
Kenny explains the reasons for JFK's relatively poor showing in the primary, but Jack shrugged it off by saying:
"I guess we didn't do as well as you fellows thought we would."
The results on the night of the general election, however, proved to be much better for Senator Kennedy.
Of the 2 million votes cast in the 1958 Massachusetts Senate Election, Senator John F. Kennedy won over 1.35 million or 73.6%. Kenny says that it was "the biggest majority won by any Senatorial candidate in the United States" in the year 1958.
Kenneth O'Donnell says that JFK's reelection campaign in 1958 was "the hardest of all the Kennedy campaigns to manage."
This was because Senator Kennedy desired to receive a record-breaking number of votes which would impress the national Democratic Party leaders.
Jack's opponent was Vincent J. Celeste, an East Boston lawyer who ran against JFK for Congress in 1950.
Adding to Kenny's troubles was the fact that JFK wanted to accomplish his big victory & in the process "spend as little money as possible on the campaign."
There would be only one KENNEDY HEADQUARTERS & that was located on Tremont Street in Boston.
It would be directed by brother Teddy & sister Jean's husband, Steve Smith.
Because JFK was also campaigning for the Presidential nomination of 1960, he spent only 17 days in Massachusetts between the primary & general elections.
Kenny explains the reasons for JFK's relatively poor showing in the primary, but Jack shrugged it off by saying:
"I guess we didn't do as well as you fellows thought we would."
The results on the night of the general election, however, proved to be much better for Senator Kennedy.
Of the 2 million votes cast in the 1958 Massachusetts Senate Election, Senator John F. Kennedy won over 1.35 million or 73.6%. Kenny says that it was "the biggest majority won by any Senatorial candidate in the United States" in the year 1958.
