Kennedy

=Kennedy =

The election of Kennedy was the closet race in American History. Kennedy was 43 when elected president making him the youngest president and the first president at that time born in the 20th century.When the votes were tallied in November, Kennedy earned 49.7% of the popular vote to Nixon's 49.5%. Kennedy polled only about 100,000 more votes than Nixon out of over 68 million votes cast. The electoral college awarded the election to Kennedy by a 303-219 margin, despite Nixon winning more states than Kennedy.

Numerous factors explain why the election was so close. Kennedy gained since there was an economic recession which hurt the incumbent GOP, 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. Kennedy's campaigning skills 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 to get out the vote in the big cities. He relied on Johnson to hold the South and used television effectively.

Bibliongraphy

//Dover Beach//. Web. 03 June 2011. . I used this source to find pictures of Kennedy. In the picture, Kennedy is saying a speech. "John F. Kennedy : Biography." //Spartacus Educational - Home Page//. Web. 03 June 2011. .This website gave me more information about the election. It gave information on things that happened behind the election. //John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum//. Web. 03 June 2011. .I used this source to get general information about the election. It provided accurate statisitics and numbers.