"THINGS WERE JUST AS BAD AS WE SAID THEY WERE"

JFK SAYS JUST ONE THING SURPRISED HIM UPON TAKING OFFICE AS PRESIDENT

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On May 27, 1961, President John F. Kennedy spoke at the National Guard Armory here in the Nation's Capital at a dinner honoring his upcoming 44th birthday.

The President said...

"the only thing that surprised us when we got into office was that things were just as bad as we had been saying they were."

JFK+50 NOTE

In 1960, JFK was running both against the incumbent Vice-President Richard M. Nixon and the popular outgoing administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.  

In order to achieve victory in the fall campaign, Senator Kennedy felt the need to point out things were not as good as they seemed.  He said the nation was "standing still" & that his promise was "to get the nation moving again."

SOURCES

"JFK Was Surprised By Only One Thing After Becoming President of the United States," JFK+50, May 27, 2020, www.jfk50.blogspot.com

"Remarks at the DNC Dinner in Honor of the President's 44th Birthday," May 27, 1961, Personal Papers of the Presidents of the United States, John F. Kennedy.  January 20-December 31, 1961, United States Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1962.

Civil Rights Flyer

Kennedy-Johnson Campaign

1960

www.flickr.com/

"BECAUSE ITS TOO LATE TO CHANGE ANY VOTES"

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OF 1960 TOO CLOSE TO CALL

Hyannis, Massachusetts (JFK+50) On November 8, 1960, voters in the United States cast their ballots in a historic presidential election between Vice-President Richard M. Nixon (R-California) and Senator John F. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts).

By midnight, with returns still coming in, the race was too close to call.  Senator Kennedy had enough of a lead, however, to bring the Vice-President out to address his supporters.  While Mr. Nixon, acknowledged he was behind at that time, he did not concede.

Senator Kennedy, stationed at campaign headquarters at his brother's home here on the Cape, decided at 3:40 a.m. to turn in.  David Powers, JFK's friend and political adviser asked, 

"Jack, how can you go to bed now?"  

Mr. Kennedy responded...

"Because it's too late to change any votes." 

JFK+50 NOTE

According to Scott Bombay, the New York Times "called the election for then-Senator Kennedy just before midnight," but the NBC radio & television network waited until 7 a.m. November 9th to announce JFK as the winner.

NBC's "cumbersome computer," however, begin to say "Kennedy Wins, Kennedy Wins," at 2 a.m.  Bombay offers no explanation as to why NBC waited 5 hours before making the announcement.

SOURCE

"The drama behind President Kennedy's 1960 election win," by Scott Bombay, November 7, 2017, National Constitution Center, www.constitutioncenter.org/

 

 

Richard Nixon Welcomes JFK to 

Key Biscayne, Florida

National Archives Photo

www.picryl.com/

"JFK PROMISES FIGHT FOR WORLD FREEDOM"

KENNEDY'S VICTORY WON BY CLOSE MARGIN
  
New York City (JFK+50)  Senator John F. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) was elected POTUS by a close margin over Vice-President Richard M. Nixon on November 8, 1960. 

The Senator's electoral margin left no doubt but the popular vote difference was calculated at less than 1/2 of 1 per cent making it the closest presidential election since 1880.

The New York Times reported on November 10, 1960 that the Democrats had won control of the White House, the House of Representatives and the United States Senate along with a 34 to 16 advantage in state governorships.

The Times also stated that President Dwight D. Eisenhower offered an "orderly transition."

*Nixon won 26 states with 219 electoral votes while Kennedy won 22 states with 303 electoral votes.  JFK received 34,220,984 or 49.72% of the popular vote  & Nixon won 34,108,157 or 49.55%.

SOURCE

"Kennedy's Victory Won By Close Margin; He Promises Fight For World Freedom; Eisenhower Offers 'Orderly Transition'," by James Reston, The New York Times, November 10, 1960, www.nytimes.com/

 

                     JFK VOTING
         Boston Public Library
               November 8 1960
                      AP Photo

"BECAUSE IT'S TOO LATE TO CHANGE ANY VOTES"

JFK GOES TO BED WITH OUTCOME IN DOUBT

Boston, Massachusetts (JFK+50)  On November 8, 1960, voters in the United States went to the polls to cast their vote for POTUS and by midnight Eastern time the outcome was still in doubt.  It would turn out to be one of the closest presidential contests in American history.

The Election of 1960* was between Republican Vice-President of the United States Richard M. Nixon of California and Democrat Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts.

Mr. Nixon watched returns from his suite at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles while  Senator Kennedy was at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

JFK built an early lead with returns coming from urban centers, but RMN came from behind as later returns came in from rural areas and the West.  Although Mr. Nixon spoke to his supporters at 3 a.m., he did not concede the election at that time.

Senator Kennedy went to bed after Nixon's appearance without knowing the final result.  When close friend and aide Dave Powers asked him how he could do that, JFK said..."Because it's too late to change any votes."**

*KENNEDY-JOHNSON received 34,220,984 or 49.72% of the popular vote  while NIXON-LODGE won 34,108,157 or 49.55%.   JFK's margin in the Electoral College was 303 to 219.  BYRD-THURMOND won 15 electoral votes.

**According to Scott Bomboy The NY TIMES called JFK the winner before midnight Eastern time Nov 8 but NBC News waited until 7 a.m. Nov 9.  

SOURCE

"The drama behind President Kennedy's 1960 election win", by Scott Bomboy, November 7, 2017, Constitution Daily, www.constitutioncenter.org/

JFK Bumper Sticker 1960

JFK Library Image

I HAVE NOT BEEN DOWN SOUTH

THE SOUTH NOT SO SOLID FOR JFK

San Francisco, California (JFK+50) On  September 3, 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy, Democratic candidate for POTUS, was asked at a news conference, held at the airport here in San Francisco, if Texas Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, his running-mate, would help win the South.

Senator Kennedy responded...

"I think we are going to have a hard fight.  I would say (it will be) hard in all parts of the United States.  I look with some hope...but I think that many of the Southern States are going to have a close contest."

The Senator refused to speculate on whether or not he would carry "all the Southern states" adding "I have not been down South yet." 

So what impact did the KENNEDY-JOHNSON (D) ticket have on the SOLID SOUTH* in 1960?

Although it was close, JFK-LBJ took Texas (24) along with  Arkansas (8)**, Georgia (12), Louisiana (10), North Carolina (14),  and South Carolina (8). Alabama split her vote & the Democrats took (5) for a total of 81.

NIXON-LODGE (R) carried Florida (10), Kentucky (10), Tennessee (11), and Virginia (12) for a total of 43.

Independent candidate HARRY BYRD of Virginia split with K-J in Alabama (6) and carried Mississippi (8) for a total of 14.

If LBJ had not been on the 1960 Democratic ticket, one could argue that JFK would not have carried TEXAS.  If that would have been the only state affected, then KENNEDY would have still defeated Nixon 279-243.  

*The term SOLID SOUTH applies to the years 1877-1964 when Southern states were dominated by white Democrats who shared common interests.  They solidly supported Democratic candidates.  The period began with the end of Reconstruction and ended with passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

**Arkansas was carried by the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 1876 to 1964.

SOURCE

"Press Conference of Senator John F. Kennedy, San Francisco, CA Airport, September 3, 1960," The American Presidency Project, John Woolley and Gerhard Peters, www.presidency.ucsb.edu/

President Kennedy & Vice-President Johnson

The White House

August 31, 1961

Photo by Abbie Rowe

JFK Library Image

JFK FARED FAR BETTER THAN TRUMP IN HAWAII

JFK SAYS ALOHA TO HAWAII

Honolulu (JFK+50) On June 9, 1963, President John F. Kennedy visited the Hawaiian Islands where he addressed the US Conference of Mayors at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel.  The subject of the President's speech was the role of federal and state government in the struggle for civil rights.

JFK, who described the issue of race relations as a "national problem," called on the mayors to "look at (their) own unemployment, delinquency (and) housing indicators" with respect to race.

The President said he would work with the mayors "in every way we can," and that "the federal government, through legislative and executive action (can)...provide peaceful remedies."

President Kennedy concluded...

"It is clear...that these (civil) rights are going to be won--and...our responsibility...is to see that they are won in a peaceful and constructive manner."

JFK was fortunate to carry Hawaii in the Election of 1960.  He polled 50.03% of the Aloha State's vote compared to 49.97% for Richard M. Nixon, a difference of 0.06%.  That was far better, however, than Donald J. Trump who not only lost Hawaii in 2016 but polled only 30% of the vote.

SOURCES

"Address to U.S. Conference of Mayors, Honolulu, Hawaii, 9 June, 1963," www.jfklibrary.org/

"Hawaii residents to Trump: 'Wish you weren't here", by Jaweed Kallem, November 2, 2017, Los Angeles Times, www.latimes.com/

"Isles a stopover and vacation spot for presidents," by Mary Adamski, October 22, 2003, www.archives.starbulletin.com/

Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel

Honolulu, Hawaii

THE HISTORIC ELECTIONS OF 1960 & 2016

JFK+50:  Volume 6, No. 2123

ELECTIONS OF 1960 & 2016:  
A COMPARISON

Washington, D.C.  (JFK+50) Today, November 8, 2016, voters go to the polls to cast their ballots for their choice for the 45th President of the United States. Fifty-six years ago today, November 8, 1960, voters did the same for the 35th President of the United States.  Both elections are historic.  Let's compare them.

In 1960, the incumbent POTUS, Dwight D. Eisenhower, was completing his second term and was ineligible for re-election.  In 2016, the incumbent POTUS, Barack H. Obama, is completing his second term and is ineligible for re-election.

1960 saw the election of the youngest-elected president in history, John F. Kennedy, at age 43.*  2016 could see the election of the first woman president in history, Hillary R. Clinton.  If Secretary Clinton is elected, however, she would continue Democratic control of the Executive Branch for a third term, while JFK's election in 1960 changed control from the Republicans to the Democrats.

The Election of 1960 was the closest presidential contest of the 20th century. We shall have to wait until tonight or perhaps even into tomorrow morning to find out if the Election of 2016 will also be close.

In 1960, third party candidate Harry F. Byrd, a segregationist senator from Virginia,  won 15 electoral votes.  Although there are third and fourth party candidates in 2016, it is not expected that either will win any electoral votes.  

The two major party nominees of 1960 represented two different coasts of the United States.  Vice-President Nixon of California watched returns from his suite at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles while Senator Kennedy of Massachusetts watched them from the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port. 

The two major party nominees of 2016 represent not only the same coast but also the same state.  Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton are both New Yorkers.

As far as the electoral maps, the two elections are likely to have some different outcomes.  In 1960, the Republicans carried California, Oregon & Washington. In 2016, those three Western states will go to the Democrats.  In 1960, the Democrats won Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and South Carolina.  Those Southern states will switch to the Republicans in 2016.

The state of Ohio has chosen the winner in every presidential election since 1964, but in 1960 it went to the loser, Richard Nixon.  If pre-election polls are correct, Mr. Trump will win Ohio but lose the election.  That, of course, remains to be seen.

*John F. Kennedy, although the youngest elected POTUS, is not the youngest.  That distinction belongs to Theodore Roosevelt who was 42 years old when he assumed the presidency on the death of President William McKinley."

PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES

JFK+50:  Volume 6, No. 1769

JFK DECLARED PRESIDENT-ELECT 55 YEARS AGO

Hyannisport, Massachusetts (JFK+50)  Fifty-five years ago today, Senator John F. Kennedy was declared the winner of the Presidential Election of 1960.  It was one of the closest elections in history.

The Senator turned in just before 4 a.m. having worked through the night at his campaign headquarters at the home of his brother and campaign manger, Robert F. Kennedy.

JFK learned of the outcome when his three year old daughter, Caroline, came running into his bedroom with the news.  He would be inaugurated on January 20, 1961 as the 35th President. At age 43, John F. Kennedy became the youngest elected Chief Executive in American history. 

According to Chris Matthews, a detail from the Secret Service showed up in Hyannis at 5:45 a.m. and the agents already "knew the names, faces and roles of each of Kennedy's people."  When JFK "greeted and thanked his top political aides (Kenny) O'Donnell and (Larry) O'Brien" that morning, (the President-elect)...struck them both as a different man."

 The President-elect made his first public statement on November 9, 1960 at the Armory here in Hyannisport.    Accompanied by his family, Mr. Kennedy received an unprecedented standing ovation from the press corps as he stepped up onto the stage.After reading the text of telegrams from both Vice-President Richard M. Nixon and President Dwight D. Eisenhower, JFK said...

"To all Americans I say that the next 4 years are going to be difficult and challenging years for all of us.  

The election may have been a close one, but I think that there is general agreement by all of our citizens that a supreme national effort will be needed in the years ahead to move this country safely through the 1960s.

I ask your help in this effort and I can assure you that every degree of mind and spirit that I possess will be devoted to the long-range interests of the United States and the cause of freedom around the world.

So now my wife and I prepare for a new administration and for a new baby."

SOURCE

"Jack Kennedy, Elusive Hero," by Chris Matthews, Simon and Shuster, New York, 2011.

JFK+50 BEGINS SIXTH YEAR

Knoxville, Tennessee (JFK+50) Five years ago today, November 9, 2010, we began writing this JFK+50 blog.  We have considered it an honor and blessing to be able to share our interest in President John F. Kennedy and as we begin our sixth year would like to thank all of you who have visited and particularly those who have done so on a regular basis.

KENNEDY ELECTED!

JFK+50:  Volume 5, No. 1768

JFK ELECTED PRESIDENT 55 YEARS AGO TODAY

Boston, Massachusetts (JFK+50)  Fifty-five years ago today, November 8, 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts was elected 35th President of the United States.

JFK was to be inaugurated on January 20, 1961 the youngest elected President in history as well as the first of the Roman Catholic faith.  The Election of 1960 was the closest presidential contest in the 20th century. Vice-President Richard M. Nixon won 26 states with 219 electoral votes while Senator Kennedy carried 22 states with 303 electoral votes

Vice-Presidential nominees were Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. for the Republicans and Lyndon B. Johnson for the Democrats. The KENNEDY-JOHNSON ticket received 34,220,984 or 49.72% of the popular vote  while the NIXON-LODGE ticket won 34,108,157 or 49.55%.

Harry F. Byrd, segregationist Senator of Virginia, running with Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, won 15 electoral votes.

The Vice-President watched returns from his suite at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.  Senator Kennedy, meanwhile, was at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

JFK built an early lead with returns coming from urban centers, but RMN came from behind as later returns came in from rural areas and the West.  Although Mr. Nixon spoke to his supporters at 3 a.m., he did not concede the election at that time.

Senator Kennedy went to bed after Nixon's appearance without knowing the final result.  When Dave Powers asked him how he could do that, JFK said..."Because it's too late to change any votes."

Mr. Kennedy learned of his victory the next morning when his 6 year old daughter Caroline came running in to his bedroom with the good news.

The President-elect's first public appearance came on November 9, 1960 when he spoke briefly at the Hyannis Port Armory accompanied by his wife, Jacqueline, his father and mother, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and other family members.

JFK Bumper Sticker 1960

JFK Library Image

DID LBJ HELP WIN THE SOUTH?

JFK+50:  Volume 5, No. 1702

JFK ASKED IF LBJ WOULD HELP WIN THE SOUTH 

San Francisco, California (JFK+50) On this day fifty-five years ago, September 3, 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy, Democratic candidate for POTUS, was asked at a news conference, held at the airport here in San Francisco, if Texas Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, his running-mate, would help win the South.

Senator Kennedy responded...

"I think we are going to have a hard fight.  I would say (it will be) hard in all parts of the United States.  I look with some hope...but I think that many of the Southern States are going to have a close contest."

JFK went on to say...

"The Vice President (Richard M. Nixon) has been down there, and has gotten a warm reception.  Senator (Barry) Goldwater has been campaigning effectively in several Southern States."

The Senator refused to speculate on whether or not he would carry "all the Southern states" adding "I have not been down South yet." 

So let's take a look at the results of the 1960 presidential election to see how the KENNEDY-JOHNSON (D) ticket came out.

Although it was close, JFK-LBJ took Texas (24) along with  Arkansas (8)*, Georgia (12), Louisiana (10), North Carolina (14),  and South Carolina (8). Alabama split her vote & the Democrats took (5) for a total of 81.

NIXON-LODGE (R) carried Florida (10), Kentucky (10), Tennessee (11), and Virginia (12) for a total of 43.

Independent candidate HARRY BYRD of Virginia split with K-J in Alabama (6) and carried Mississippi (8) for a total of 14.

If LBJ had not been on the 1960 Democratic ticket, one could argue that JFK would not have carried TEXAS.  If that would have been the only state affected, then KENNEDY would have still defeated Nixon 279-243.  JFK would have won the Presidency by a mere 10 electoral votes.

In 1964, LBJ won 90 electoral votes in the South although BARRY GOLDWATER (R) carried South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.  In 1968, HUBERT HUMPHREY (D) carried only Texas while GEORGE WALLACE (American Independent Party) won Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi while RICHARD NIXON (R) won the rest.

In 1972, NIXON (R) won all but 1 electoral vote in the South.  In 1976, JIMMY CARTER (D) won all Southern states except Virginia.  In 1980, RONALD REAGAN (R) won all Southern states except Georgia.

The term SOLID SOUTH applies to the years 1877-1964 when Southern states were dominated by white Democrats who shared common interests.  They solidly supported Democratic candidates.  The period began with the end of Reconstruction and ended with passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

*Arkansas was carried by the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 1876 to 1964.

SOURCE

"Press Conference of Senator John F. Kennedy, San Francisco, CA Airport, September 3, 1960," The American Presidency Project, John Woolley and Gerhard Peters, www.presidency.ucsb.edu/

President Kennedy & Vice-President Johnson

The White House

August 31, 1961

Photo by Abbie Rowe

JFK Library Image

KENNEDY DEFEATS NIXON

JOHN F. KENNEDY ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

Boston, Massachusetts (JFK+50)  Fifty-four years ago today, November 8, 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts was elected 35th President of the United States.

JFK was to be inaugurated on January 20, 1961 the youngest elected President in history as well as the first of the Roman Catholic faith.  The Election of 1960 would go was the closest presidential contest in the 20th century.

JFK Bumper Sticker 1960

JFK Library Image

Vice-President Richard M. Nixon won 26 states with 219 electoral votes while Senator Kennedy carried 22 states with 303 electoral votes

Vice-Presidential nominees were Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. for the Republicans and Lyndon B. Johnson for the Democrats. The KENNEDY-JOHNSON ticket received 34,220,984 or 49.72% of the popular vote  while the NIXON-LODGE ticket won 34,108,157 or 49.55%.

Harry F. Byrd, segregationist Senator of Virginia, running with Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, won 15 electoral votes.

The Vice-President watched returns from his suite at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

Senator Kennedy, meanwhile, was at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

JFK built an early lead with returns coming from urban centers, but RMN came from behind as later returns came in from rural areas and the West.

Although Mr. Nixon spoke to his supporters at 3 a.m., he did not concede the election at that time.

Senator Kennedy went to bed after Nixon's appearance without knowing the final result.  When Dave Powers asked him how he could do that, JFK said..."Because it's too late to change any votes."

Mr. Kennedy learned of his victory the next morning when his 6 year old daughter Caroline came running in to his bedroom with the good news.

JFK and LBJ were the first incumbent United States senators to be elected as President and Vice-President.  The next would be Senators Barack Obama and Joe Biden in 2008.

The President-elect's first public appearance came on November 9, 1960 when he spoke briefly at the Hyannis Port Armory accompanied by his wife, Jacqueline, his father and mother, Mr. & Mrs. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. and other family members.

REPUBLICANS WIN WHITE HOUSE

REPUBLICANS WON WHITE HOUSE 154 YEARS AGO TODAY

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) With the nation sharply divided over the issue of slavery, the Republican Party's Abraham Lincoln of Illinois was elected the 16th President of the United States 154 years ago today, November 6, 1860.

Mr. Lincoln pledged to end the spread of slavery into the western territories. The Republican Party's first candidate, John C. Fremont, lost to Democrat James Buchanan in the Election of 1956.

In the first debate between Kennedy and Nixon, JFK's opening statement referred to Lincoln's first election.  He said...

"In the election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln said the question was whether this nation could exist half-slave or half free.  In the election of 1960...the question is whether the world will exist half-slave or half-free..."

The Republican Party, founded in 1854, opposed the territorial spread of "the peculiar institution" but promised not to interfere with slavery in the states.

The new party also promised to enact a protective tariff, provide federal aid for internal improvements as well as a transcontinental railroad and free homesteads.

President-elect Lincoln carried the North and the West, but did not win a single state in the South.  Lincoln's name did not appear on the ballot south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Abraham Lincoln Impersonator 

Knoxville, Tennessee

Photo by John White (2010)

The final electoral count was:

Abraham Lincoln (R) 180
John C. Breckinridge (SD) 72
John Bell (CU) 39
Stephen A. Douglas (ND) 12

The Democrats, divided over the slavery question, had split into two factions.

The northern Democrats, led by Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois, supported popular sovereignty or the right of the people of each territory make their own choice on slavery by popular vote.

The southern Democrats, led by John C. Breckinridge of South Carolina, demanded enforcement of the Dred Scott Decision by which the Supreme Court ruled that slaves were not citizens of the United States.

Chief Justice Roger B. Taney ruled also that slaves were property and therefore "Congress may not deprive any person of the right to take property into federal territories."

A 3rd party, the Constitutional Union Party, attempted to avoid disunion over the slavery issue and ran John Bell of Tennessee.

Lincoln's election was the "last straw" for many Southerners and in December 1860 the state of South Carolina seceded from the Union followed by 6 other southern states. 

By the spring of 1861, civil war was on the horizon.

SOURCE

"American History," by Irving L. Gordon, Second Edition, Amsco School Publications, Inc., New York, 1996.

SOUTH VIETNAM GETS NEW LEADER

Saigon, South Vietnam (JFK+50) 51 years ago today, November 6, 1963, just days after a coup resulted in the overthrow and death of President Ngo Dinh Diem, the leader of the Revolutionary Military Committee, General Duong Van Minh*, took leadership of South Vietnam.

Nguen Ngoc, a Buddhist, became premier, but the Revolutionary committee, led by Minh, held the real power for 3 months.

*Duong Van "Big" Minh (1916-2001) was born in French Indochina to a wealthy landlord.  He served in the French army in WWII and led in the overthrow of South Vietnamese president Diem in 1963. 

Big Minh remained in power only 3 months.  His nickname came from the fact that at 6 feet, 198 pounds, Big Minh was larger than the average Vietnamese.

Duong Van Minh 

April 28, 1975

OHIO KEY TO WINNING?

JFK SAYS OHIO KEY TO WINNING ELECTION OF 1960

Toledo, Ohio (JFK+50) Speaking here in Toledo fifty-four years ago today, November 4, 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, the Democratic candidate for President of the United States, told his supporters that whoever won Ohio would be elected.

The Senator said:

"This state is key.  Whoever carries Ohio will carry the United States.  So give us your hand, your voice, your vote."*

Kennedy Bumper Sticker 1960

JFK Library Image

JFK was certainly right about the importance of the state of Ohio in presidential elections, but he was proven wrong about the state making a difference in 1960.  Senator Kennedy lost Ohio's 25 electoral votes to Vice-President Richard M. Nixon, but won the election.

Mr. Kennedy had begun his last busy day of campaigning in Virginia, where he spoke in Norfolk and Roanoke.

During his appearance in Norfolk, JFK said...

"The light is in the window.  Massachusetts and Virginia both went wrong in the last eight years, but the people of Virginia have begun to look to the future."

And in Roanoke, Senator Kennedy said....

"This state and country is going to have to do better. That is the real issue.  If you are satisfied, Mr. Nixon is your candidate.  But if you share my view that the Republican Party is not equipped...to lead...in a changing...time, you should place your confidence in the Democratic Party."

With Election Day just four days away, Senator Kennedy concluded his busy day in Chicago where he said...

"This campaign (ends) and on Tuesday you have to make your judgment...not merely about the...candidates...but...about yourselves, what you believe, what you stand for...as citizens..."   

JFK went on win Illinois, but by only .19% of the popular vote.  The Democratic nominee lost both Ohio and Virginia, but nonetheless narrowly won the election by an electoral vote of 303 to 219.

*OHIO has been carried by the winner in every presidential election since 1964.  Barack Obama won Ohio by 5% in 2008 and 3% in 2012.  George W. Bush won Ohio by 3% in 2000 and 2% in 2004. While Ohio had 25 electoral votes in 1960, that number has dropped to 18.

SOURCE

www.270towin.com/states/Ohio

KENNEDY WINS PRESIDENCY

November  8, 1960

KENNEDY WINS PRESIDENCY

Boston, Massachusetts (JFK+50)  John F. Kennedy became President-elect of the United States today becoming the youngest elected President in history as well as the 1st of the Roman Catholic faith.

The Election of 1960 will also go down as the closest presidential contest, at least thus far, in the 20th century.

           JFK Bumper Sticker 1960
                 JFK Library Image

Vice-President Richard M. Nixon won 26 states with 219 electoral votes while Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts carried 22 states with 303 electoral votes.

The Kennedy-Johnson ticket received 34,220,984 or 49.72% of the popular vote  while the Nixon-Lodge ticket won 34,108,157 or 49.55%.

Harry F. Byrd, segregationist Senator of Virginia, running with Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, won 15 electoral votes.

The Vice-President watched returns from his suite at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

Senator Kennedy, meanwhile, was at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.*

*Kennedy built an early lead with returns coming from urban centers, but Nixon came from behind as later returns came in from rural areas & the West.

Although Mr. Nixon spoke to his supporters at 3 a.m., he did not concede the election at that time.

Senator Kennedy & Senator Lyndon B. Johnson were the 1st incumbent United States senators to be elected as President & Vice-President.  The next would be Senators Barack Obama & Joe Biden in 2008.