The election of 1960 was known as one of the closest elections in American history. Democrat John F. Kennedy declared his official run for the presidency on January 2, 1960. Despite the fact that he was young, Kennedy was also a Roman Catholic. In fact, no Catholic had ever been elected president before. In response, Kennedy said "I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party candidate for President who also happens to be a Catholic. I do not speak for my Church on public matters — and the Church does not speak for me."
In the race for a democratic presidential candidate, Kennedy ran against Lyndon B. Johnson, U.S. Senate Majority Leader from Texas, Stuart Symington of Missouri, Adlai E. Stevenson of Illinois, and Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnesota. Kennedy was viewed to the public as young and inexperienced.
At the Democratic Convention, Kennedy gave the well-known "New Frontier" speech, which represented the changes America and the rest of the world would be going through. With his visionary speech, Kennedy immediately became the democratic candidate.
During the age in which television played a dominant role in American lifestyle, John F. Kennedy debated Republican candidate and Vice President Richard Nixon in the first presidential debate. Although Kennedy was an underdog, Kennedy’s TV image overcame Nixon’s years of executive experiences. On Tuesday, November 8, Kennedy defeated Nixon to become the youngest President in the U.S. history.
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