Kennedy-Nixon Debate 1/4 (1960) Kennedy-Nixon Debate 2/4 (1960) Kennedy-Nixon Debate 3/4 (1960) Kennedy-Nixon Debate 4/4 (1960) United States presidential election, 1960. A number of factors explain why the election was so close.[2] Kennedy gained since there was an economic recession which hurt the incumbent Republican, and he had the advantage of 17 million more registered Democrats than Republicans. Furthermore, the new votes that Kennedy gained among Catholics almost neutralized the new votes Nixon gained among Protestants.[3] Kennedy's campaigning skills decisively outmatched Nixon's. In the end, Nixon's emphasis on his experience carried little weight, and he wasted energy by campaigning in all 50 states instead of concentrating on the swing states. Kennedy used his large, well-funded campaign organization to win the nomination, secure endorsements, and, with the aid of the last of the big-city bosses, get out the vote in the big cities. [citation needed] He relied on running mate Lyndon B.
Johnson to hold the South, and used television effectively.[4] This election is notable as being the first time in U.S. history that two sitting U.S. South[edit]