United States Presidential Election, 1960 (PJW)

The United States Presidential Election of 1960 was the 44th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 1960.

The election was one of the closest in history, with major issues being the burgeoning race war and growing walls that divided America, an economic recession, the war in Cuba and involvement in Vietnam, fears of communism and a technologically superior Soviet Union, and the breakdown of law and order across the United States.

Democratic Party


Multiple candidates announced their nomination in the summer of 1959. Senator Harry F. Byrd of Virginia was to first to announce his campaign at a patriotic rally on July 4th. John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson followed suit in August.