"BY MIDNIGHT, JFK LEADS NIXON BY A MILLION VOTES"

JFK TAKES EARLY LEAD OVER NIXON

Hyannis, Massachusetts (JFK+50) On the evening of November 8, 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy was watching presidential election returns come in along with his family and campaign staff at the compound here in Hyannis.

"The first result to come in was Connecticut which Kennedy carried by 306,000 votes."

From there, things continued to go well for JFK so that "by midnight, he was ahead by almost a million votes."  If it had been 1948, the Chicago Tribune might have come out with an early headline 'KENNEDY DEFEATS NIXON!'*

But in the early morning hours of November 9, as the results in the Western states came in, the Kennedy lead was cut in half.

Nonetheless, at 3:20 a.m. eastern time, JFK's Republican opponent, Vice President Richard M. Nixon said...

"If the present trend continues, Senator Kennedy will be the next president."

*Early returns in the 1948 presidential election heavily favored Republican New York Gov. Thomas E. Dewey.  The Chicago Tribune prematurely published an edition with the headline "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN".  The President was pictured holding up the paper with a big grin after he was declared the winner.

SOURCE

"Kennedy:  The Life and Death of a U.S. President," by Charlotte Montague, Chartwell Books, 2017. 

   

 

JFK Casts His Ballot

Boston Public Library

Nov 8 1960

AP Photo

"NOTHING ILLEGAL WAS UNCOVERED & THE VOTE STOOD"

KENNEDY V NIXON:  TOO CLOSE TO CALL

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On November 8, 1960 the presidential election between Senator John F. Kennedy (D) and Vice-President Richard M. Nixon (R) was held in the United States.

It proved to be one of the closest in American history.  In fact, the winner was not declared until 7. a.m. the next morning.  John F. Kennedy became the 35th POTUS, the youngest elected, and the first of the Roman Catholic faith.

Mr. Nixon, who served two terms as Vice-President, spoke to supporters in California at 3 a.m. but did not concede.  The race was called by NBC NEWS at 7 a.m., and the Vice-President conceded "at midday."  President Dwight D. Eisenhower promised an "orderly transition."

Charlotte Montague writes..."There were questions of foul play.  There were suspicions...about rigged voting in Illinois...but it was not unusual. Republicans were given an investigation...but nothing illegal was uncovered and the vote stood."

The final vote was...

Kennedy-Johnson (D) 34,226,731 [49.7%] 303 electoral votes

Nixon-Lodge (R) 34,108,157 [49.5%] 219 electoral votes

 

JFK+50 NOTE

At this time, with votes still being counted, 3 percentage points separate the popular votes of the presidential candidates of 2020.  Compare that to .02 points in 1960. 

JFK won by 118,574 popular votes.  Compare that to the current 4,425,137 popular vote advantage held by Joe Biden. 

 

SOURCE

"John F. Kennedy, The Life and Death of a U.S. President," by Charlotte Montague, Chartwell Books, New York, 2017.

 

 

JFK Voting 

Boston Public Library

November 8 1960

AP Photo