Election 1960 Results
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1960 presidential election results by state and county
John F. Kennedy narrowly defeated Vice President Richard Nixon, 303 electoral votes to 219, in one of the closest popular votes of the twentieth century.
John F. Kennedy (Democrat) beat Richard Nixon in 1960, winning 303 electoral votes to 219, with 15 going to Unpledged electors (Unpledged Democratic). John F. Kennedy carried 22 states and Richard Nixon 26; Unpledged electors (Unpledged Democratic) carried Alabama and Mississippi. Across the states, the Democratic and Republican vote came to 34,220,984 and 34,108,157 (D+0.2 of all votes cast).
The closest states were Hawaii (D+0.1), Illinois (D+0.2) and Missouri (D+0.5). 18 states changed party from 1956: Alabama to the third party, Connecticut to the Democrats, Delaware to the Democrats, Illinois to the Democrats, Louisiana to the Democrats, Maryland to the Democrats, Massachusetts to the Democrats, Michigan to the Democrats, Minnesota to the Democrats, Mississippi to the third party, Nevada to the Democrats, New Jersey to the Democrats, New Mexico to the Democrats, New York to the Democrats, Pennsylvania to the Democrats, Rhode Island to the Democrats, Texas to the Democrats and West Virginia to the Democrats.
Early projection, based on early and incomplete polling: the likely matchups, each weighted by the betting markets' odds of both nominations, not a result. Each county is its 2024 presidential margin moved by its state's projected swing; set a national vote and every state, district and county moves by the same amount from our projection. Colours run in 100 steps from a safe Republican to a safe Democratic margin. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.
About the 1960 presidential election
Eisenhower was barred from a third term, and Republicans nominated his vice president, Richard Nixon. Democrats chose John F. Kennedy, a 43-year-old senator from Massachusetts, who would become the first Catholic president. The campaign featured the first televised presidential debates, and Kennedy's assured performance in the first of them helped him. Alaska and Hawaii voted for president for the first time. Kennedy won the popular vote by about a fifth of a point. He flipped 18 states from the Eisenhower column, including New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois and Texas, where Lyndon B. Johnson was his running mate. Many were extremely close. Kennedy took Hawaii by about a tenth of a point, Illinois by 0.2, Missouri by 0.4 and New Mexico by 0.5. Some Republicans questioned the count in Chicago, but Nixon did not contest it. Nixon carried 26 states, including his home state of California by 0.6 points. In the Deep South, unpledged electors opposed to Kennedy's civil rights stance won in Mississippi and took part of Alabama's slate. Together with one faithless Oklahoma elector, they cast 15 votes for Senator Harry F. Byrd of Virginia. Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963.
Every state
| State | Democrat | Votes | Republican | Votes | Others | Margin | EV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama flip | John F. Kennedy | 318,303 (36.2%) | Richard Nixon | 237,981 (27.0%) | Unpledged electors (Unpledged Democratic) 324,050 (36.8%) |
Third party +0.7 | 11 |
| Alabama: Alabama voters chose electors individually, so these figures are the highest vote for any elector on each slate; six unpledged electors (who voted for Harry F. Byrd) and five Kennedy electors won. | |||||||
| Alaska | John F. Kennedy | 29,809 (49.1%) | Richard Nixon | 30,953 (50.9%) | R+1.9 | 3 | |
| Arizona | John F. Kennedy | 176,781 (44.4%) | Richard Nixon | 221,241 (55.5%) | 469 | R+11.2 | 4 |
| Arkansas | John F. Kennedy | 215,049 (50.2%) | Richard Nixon | 184,508 (43.1%) | Orval Faubus (National States' Rights) 28,952 (6.8%) |
D+7.1 | 8 |
| California | John F. Kennedy | 3,224,099 (49.6%) | Richard Nixon | 3,259,722 (50.1%) | 22,757 | R+0.6 | 32 |
| Colorado | John F. Kennedy | 330,629 (44.9%) | Richard Nixon | 402,242 (54.6%) | 3,375 | R+9.7 | 6 |
| Connecticut flip | John F. Kennedy | 657,055 (53.7%) | Richard Nixon | 565,813 (46.3%) | 15 | D+7.5 | 8 |
| Delaware flip | John F. Kennedy | 99,590 (50.6%) | Richard Nixon | 96,373 (49.0%) | 720 | D+1.6 | 3 |
| Florida | John F. Kennedy | 748,700 (48.5%) | Richard Nixon | 795,476 (51.5%) | R+3.0 | 10 | |
| Georgia | John F. Kennedy | 458,638 (62.5%) | Richard Nixon | 274,472 (37.4%) | 239 | D+25.1 | 12 |
| Hawaii | John F. Kennedy | 92,410 (50.0%) | Richard Nixon | 92,295 (50.0%) | D+0.1 | 3 | |
| Idaho | John F. Kennedy | 138,853 (46.2%) | Richard Nixon | 161,597 (53.8%) | R+7.6 | 4 | |
| Illinois flip | John F. Kennedy | 2,377,846 (50.0%) | Richard Nixon | 2,368,988 (49.8%) | 10,575 | D+0.2 | 27 |
| Indiana | John F. Kennedy | 952,358 (44.6%) | Richard Nixon | 1,175,120 (55.0%) | 7,882 | R+10.4 | 13 |
| Iowa | John F. Kennedy | 550,565 (43.2%) | Richard Nixon | 722,381 (56.7%) | 864 | R+13.5 | 10 |
| Kansas | John F. Kennedy | 363,213 (39.1%) | Richard Nixon | 561,474 (60.4%) | 4,138 | R+21.4 | 8 |
| Kentucky | John F. Kennedy | 521,855 (46.4%) | Richard Nixon | 602,607 (53.6%) | R+7.2 | 10 | |
| Louisiana flip | John F. Kennedy | 407,339 (50.4%) | Richard Nixon | 230,980 (28.6%) | Unpledged electors (Unpledged Democratic) 169,572 (21.0%) |
D+21.8 | 10 |
| Maine | John F. Kennedy | 181,159 (43.0%) | Richard Nixon | 240,608 (57.0%) | R+14.1 | 5 | |
| Maryland flip | John F. Kennedy | 565,808 (53.6%) | Richard Nixon | 489,538 (46.4%) | 3 | D+7.2 | 9 |
| Massachusetts flip | John F. Kennedy | 1,487,174 (60.2%) | Richard Nixon | 976,750 (39.6%) | 5,556 | D+20.7 | 16 |
| Michigan flip | John F. Kennedy | 1,687,269 (50.9%) | Richard Nixon | 1,620,428 (48.8%) | 10,400 | D+2.0 | 20 |
| Minnesota flip | John F. Kennedy | 779,933 (50.6%) | Richard Nixon | 757,915 (49.2%) | 4,039 | D+1.4 | 11 |
| Mississippi flip | John F. Kennedy | 108,362 (36.3%) | Richard Nixon | 73,561 (24.7%) | Unpledged electors (Unpledged Democratic) 116,248 (39.0%) |
Third party +2.6 | 8 |
| Missouri | John F. Kennedy | 972,201 (50.3%) | Richard Nixon | 962,221 (49.7%) | D+0.5 | 13 | |
| Montana | John F. Kennedy | 134,891 (48.6%) | Richard Nixon | 141,841 (51.1%) | 847 | R+2.5 | 4 |
| Nebraska | John F. Kennedy | 232,542 (37.9%) | Richard Nixon | 380,553 (62.1%) | R+24.1 | 6 | |
| Nevada flip | John F. Kennedy | 54,880 (51.2%) | Richard Nixon | 52,387 (48.8%) | D+2.3 | 3 | |
| New Hampshire | John F. Kennedy | 137,772 (46.6%) | Richard Nixon | 157,989 (53.4%) | R+6.8 | 4 | |
| New Jersey flip | John F. Kennedy | 1,385,415 (50.0%) | Richard Nixon | 1,363,324 (49.2%) | 24,372 | D+0.8 | 16 |
| New Mexico flip | John F. Kennedy | 156,027 (50.2%) | Richard Nixon | 153,733 (49.4%) | 1,347 | D+0.7 | 4 |
| New York flip | John F. Kennedy | 3,830,085 (52.5%) | Richard Nixon | 3,446,419 (47.3%) | 14,575 | D+5.3 | 45 |
| North Carolina | John F. Kennedy | 713,136 (52.1%) | Richard Nixon | 655,420 (47.9%) | D+4.2 | 14 | |
| North Dakota | John F. Kennedy | 123,963 (44.5%) | Richard Nixon | 154,310 (55.4%) | 158 | R+10.9 | 4 |
| Ohio | John F. Kennedy | 1,944,248 (46.7%) | Richard Nixon | 2,217,611 (53.3%) | R+6.6 | 25 | |
| Oklahoma | John F. Kennedy | 370,111 (41.0%) | Richard Nixon | 533,039 (59.0%) | R+18.0 | 8 | |
| Oregon | John F. Kennedy | 367,402 (47.3%) | Richard Nixon | 408,060 (52.6%) | 959 | R+5.2 | 6 |
| Pennsylvania flip | John F. Kennedy | 2,556,282 (51.1%) | Richard Nixon | 2,439,956 (48.7%) | 10,303 | D+2.3 | 32 |
| Rhode Island flip | John F. Kennedy | 258,032 (63.6%) | Richard Nixon | 147,502 (36.4%) | 1 | D+27.3 | 4 |
| South Carolina | John F. Kennedy | 198,129 (51.2%) | Richard Nixon | 188,558 (48.8%) | 1 | D+2.5 | 8 |
| South Dakota | John F. Kennedy | 128,070 (41.8%) | Richard Nixon | 178,417 (58.2%) | R+16.4 | 4 | |
| Tennessee | John F. Kennedy | 481,453 (45.8%) | Richard Nixon | 556,577 (52.9%) | 13,762 | R+7.1 | 11 |
| Texas flip | John F. Kennedy | 1,167,567 (50.5%) | Richard Nixon | 1,121,310 (48.5%) | 22,207 | D+2.0 | 24 |
| Utah | John F. Kennedy | 169,248 (45.2%) | Richard Nixon | 205,361 (54.8%) | 100 | R+9.6 | 4 |
| Vermont | John F. Kennedy | 69,186 (41.3%) | Richard Nixon | 98,131 (58.6%) | 7 | R+17.3 | 3 |
| Virginia | John F. Kennedy | 362,327 (47.0%) | Richard Nixon | 404,521 (52.4%) | 4,601 | R+5.5 | 12 |
| Washington | John F. Kennedy | 599,298 (48.3%) | Richard Nixon | 629,273 (50.7%) | 13,001 | R+2.4 | 9 |
| West Virginia flip | John F. Kennedy | 441,786 (52.7%) | Richard Nixon | 395,995 (47.3%) | D+5.5 | 8 | |
| Wisconsin | John F. Kennedy | 830,805 (48.0%) | Richard Nixon | 895,175 (51.8%) | 3,102 | R+3.7 | 12 |
| Wyoming | John F. Kennedy | 63,331 (45.0%) | Richard Nixon | 77,451 (55.0%) | R+10.0 | 3 | |
Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Margins are Democrat minus Republican, of all votes. Certified results, from the states' own archives, the MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Heideman (2026) and Algara & Amlani (2021). Maine and Nebraska are shown whole, without their district votes. By county: "As they were" draws each county as it stood on election day; "Today's" shares the old votes among today's counties by area. County boundaries: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries (CC BY-NC-SA 2.5). How these results were checked.