| ←1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 → Presidential election year | |
| Election day | November 8 |
|---|---|
| Incumbent president | Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican) |
| Next Congress | 87th |
| Presidential election | |
| Partisan control | Democratic gain |
| Popular vote margin | Democratic +0.2% |
| Electoral vote | |
| John F. Kennedy (D) | 303 |
| Richard Nixon (R) | 219 |
 | |
| 1960 presidential election results.Red denotes states won by Nixon,blue denotes states won by Kennedy, andlight blue denotes the electoral votes forHarry F. Byrd. Numbers indicate theelectoral votes won by each candidate. | |
| Senate elections | |
| Overall control | Democratic hold |
| Seats contested | 35 of 100 seats (33 Class 2 seats + 3 special elections)[1] |
| Net seat change | Republican +2 |
 | |
| 1960 Senate results Republican gain Democratic hold Republican hold No election | |
| House elections | |
| Overall control | Democratic hold |
| Seats contested | All 437 voting members |
| Popular vote margin | Democratic +10% |
| Net seat change | Republican +22 |
 | |
| 1960 House of Representatives results Democratic gain Republican gain Democratic hold Republican hold No election | |
| Gubernatorial elections | |
| Seats contested | 27 |
| Net seat change | Democratic +1 |
 | |
| 1960 gubernatorial election results Democratic gain Republican gain Democratic hold Republican hold No election | |
Elections were held on November 8, 1960, and elected the members of the87th United States Congress.DemocraticSenatorJohn F. Kennedy narrowly defeatedRepublican incumbentVice PresidentRichard Nixon in thepresidential election, and although Republicans made gains in both chambers ofCongress, the Democratic Party easily maintained control of Congress.
In the presidential election, DemocraticSenatorJohn F. Kennedy from Massachusetts defeated sittingRepublican Vice PresidentRichard Nixon. Kennedy carried a mix of Southern, Midwestern, and Northeastern states, while Nixon dominated the West and won a majority of states. Fourteenunpledged electors from Alabama and Mississippi voted for Democratic SenatorHarry F. Byrd fromVirginia, as many Southern Democrats opposed the national party's stance oncivil 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 sinceJohn C. Breckinridge in1860, easily won hisparty's nomination. Sitting Republican PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower was the first president in American history to be legally ineligible for re-election, due to the 1951 ratification of the22nd Amendment. Kennedy won theDemocratic nomination on the first ballot, defeating Texas SenatorLyndon B. Johnson. Kennedy's general election victory made him thefirstCatholic president.
This was the second consecutive election cycle in which the winning presidential candidate did not have coattails in either house of Congress.[4][5]
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