The United States presidential election of 1960 was the 44th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2000. The contest was between Republican candidate Barry Goldwater, a senator from Arizona, and Democratic candidate Estes Kefauver, the incumbent Vice President.
Incumbent Democratic President Harry Byrd decided against running for a second term, facing legal issues in the aftermath of the Norfolk Bridge Scandal. Vice President Kefauver was able to secure the Democratic nomination with relative ease. Goldwater was seen as the early favorite for the Republican nomination, and despite a contentious primary battle with Senator Richard Nixon and other candidates, secured the nomination by Super Tuesday. Goldwater chose his former rival, Nixon, and Kefauver chose Senator Hubert Humphrey as his. Both major party candidates focused primarily on domestic issues, such as the budget, tax relief, and reforms for federal social insurance programs, though foreign policy was not ignored. Byrd and Kefauver did not often campaign together, a deliberate decision resulting from the Norfolk Bridge Scandal.
Election results hinged on Illinois. Kefauver won Illinois shortly after winning the popular vote, meaning a victory in the electoral college. Most newspapers announced a Kefauver victory. However, the Republicans sued the next morning, claiming Chicago mayor Richard Daley used his control of the Chicago democratic machine to ensure fraudulent votes for Kefauver, and that Goldwater actually won the state. The case appealled all the way to the Supreme Court. In a 5 to 4 decision, Goldwater v. Kefauver, the Supreme Court ruled that 3,500 votes were fraudulent, and therefore, Goldwater won the state of Illinois. Goldwater was inaugurated in January, 1961.
However, inquiries into the affairs throughout the 1960s proved that there were no fraudulent votes, and Kefauver was the legitimate winner in Illinois. Daley only organized a huge ground campaign for Kefauver.
Last Election: 1956
Next Election: 1964