1960 United States elections was held on November 8 , and elected the members of the 87th United States Congress . The Democratic Party retained control of Congress and won the presidency . In the presidential election , Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy from Massachusetts defeated sitting Republican Vice President Richard Nixon . Kennedy carried a mix of Southern , Midwestern , and Northeastern states , while Nixon dominated the West and won a majority of states . Fourteen unpledged electors from Alabama and Mississippi voted for Democratic Senator Harry F. Byrd from Virginia , as many Southern Democrats opposed the national party 's stance on civil rights . Kennedy 's popular vote margin of victory was the closest in any presidential election in the 20th century , with Kennedy garnering 0.17 % more of the popular vote than his opponent . Nixon , the first sitting vice president to win either party 's nomination since John C. Breckinridge in 1860 , easily won his party 's nomination . Sitting Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president in American history to be legally ineligible for re-election , due to the 1951 ratification of the 22nd Amendment . Kennedy won the Democratic nomination on the first ballot , defeating Texas Senator Lyndon B. Johnson . Kennedy 's general election victory made him the first Catholic president
party 's nomination
1960 Republican National Convention
1960 United States elections