United States Presidential Election of 1960

Kennedy beat Nixon 303 to 219 by just 112,000 votes in the first televised debates.

Overview

The first election with televised debates became the closest of the century: Kennedy's Catholicism, overcome by his calm performance against Nixon's haggard one in the first debate watched by 70 million, shifted enough votes in an era when imagery began to matter. Kennedy won 303 to 219 with 0.17 percent, about 112,000 votes, though allegations of fraud in Texas and Illinois, which together could have reversed the college, marred the aftermath. Nixon's refusal to contest formally set a precedent of acceptance later revisited in 2020.