[101]
In July 1959 President Eisenhower sent Nixon to the Soviet Union for the opening of the American National Exhibition in Moscow. On July 24, Nixon was touring the exhibits with Soviet First Secretary and Premier Nikita Khrushchev when the two stopped at a model of an American kitchen and engaged in an impromptu exchange about the merits of capitalism versus communism that became known as the "Kitchen Debate".[102]

1960 presidential campaign
Main article: 1960 United States presidential election
John F. Kennedy and Nixon before their first televised 1960 debate
1960 electoral vote results
In 1960 Nixon launched his first campaign for President of the United States. He faced little opposition in the Republican primaries[103] and chose former Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. as his running mate.[104] His Democratic opponent was John F. Kennedy and the race remained close for the duration.[105] Nixon campaigned on his experience, but Kennedy called for new blood and claimed the Eisenhower–Nixon administration had allowed the Soviet Union to overtake the U.S. in ballistic missiles (the "missile gap").[106] While Kennedy faced issues about his Catholicism, Nixon remained a divisive figure to some.