The United States presidential election of 1960 was the 44th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 1960.The Republican Party nominated incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon, while the Democratic Party nominated John F. Kennedy, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts.ixon was the first candidate in American presidential electoral history to lose an election despite carrying a majority of the states. The 1960 presidential election was the closest election since 1916, which can be explained by a number of factors.