| Year: | 1960 |
| Type: | Presidential election year |
| Election Day: | November 8 |
| Incumbent President: | Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican) |
| Next Congress: | 87th |
| President Control: | Democratic gain |
| President Candidate1: | John F. Kennedy (D) |
| Electoral Vote1: | 303 |
| President Candidate2: | Richard Nixon (R) |
| Electoral Vote2: | 219 |
| President Pv Margin: | Democratic +0.2% |
| President Map Caption: | 1960 presidential election results. Red denotes states won by Nixon, blue denotes states won by Kennedy, and light blue denotes the electoral votes for Harry F. Byrd. Numbers indicate the electoral votes won by each candidate. |
| Senate Seats Contested: | 35 of 100 seats (33 Class 2 seats + 3 special elections)[1] |
| Senate Control: | Democratic hold |
| Senate Net Change: | Republican +2 |
| Senate Map Caption: | 1960 Senate results |
| House Seats Contested: | All 437 voting members |
| House Control: | Democratic hold |
| House Pv Margin: | Democratic +10% |
| House Net Change: | Republican +22 |
| House Map Caption: | 1960 House of Representatives results |
| Governor Seats Contested: | 27 |
| Governor Net Change: | Democratic +1 |
| Governor Map Caption: | 1960 gubernatorial election results |
The 1960 United States elections were held on November 8, and elected the members of the 87th United States Congress. Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon in the presidential election, and although Republicans made gains in both chambers of Congress, the Democratic Party easily maintained control of Congress.
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.[2] [3] 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.
This was the second consecutive presidential election where the winning candidate did not have coattails in either house of Congress.[4] [5]