1960 United States presidential election in Alaska

Main article: 1960 United States presidential election

1960 United States presidential election in Alaska

November 8, 1960 1964  →

Nominee Richard Nixon John F. Kennedy Party Republican Democratic Home state California Massachusetts Running mate Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. Lyndon B. Johnson Electoral vote 3 0 Popular vote 30,953 29,809 Percentage 50.94% 49.06%

Borough and Census Area Results State House District Results [a] Nixon   50–60%   60–70%   70–80% Kennedy   50–60%   60–70%   70–80%

President before election Dwight D. Eisenhower Republican Elected President John F. Kennedy Democratic

The 1960 United States presidential election in Alaska took place on November 8, 1960, as part of the nationwide presidential election. This was the first presidential election that Alaska participated in. ^[1] Voters chose three representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Alaska was narrowly won by incumbent Vice-president Richard Nixon (R-California) with 50.9% of the popular vote against U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) with 49.1%; a 1.8% margin. ^[1] Prior to the election, The New York Times declared Kennedy the favorite in the state. ^[2]

Interior Department Chief Legal Officer (Solicitor) Ted Stevens managed Nixon's campaign in the state, being key to Nixon's narrow victory in what was then a solidly Democratic state ^[3] which hadn't elected a Republican to state-wide office since James Wickersham was elected at-large Territorial Delegate in 1930. ^[4] Stevens would become a U.S. Senator 8 years later. ^[5]

This is the only time a Democrat was elected without carrying Bethel. Kennedy's 49.06% vote share remains the second best of any Democrat in a presidential election in the state, after Lyndon B. Johnson's landslide victory in the following election.

Results

1960 United States presidential election in Alaska [1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage	Electoral votes
	Republican	Richard Nixon	30,953	50.94%	3
	Democratic	John F. Kennedy	29,809	49.06%	0
Totals			60,762	100.00%	3

Electors

With statehood, Alaska was given three votes in the Electoral College. This has continued to be the case to the present day. Alaska's electors in 1960 were:

1. Charles D. Jones, of Nome
2. Milton D. Snodgrass, of Palmer
3. Sylvia Ringstad, of Fairbanks ^[6]

See also

• United States presidential elections in Alaska
• 1960 United States Senate election in Alaska

Notes

1. The state house districts also represent the boroughs and census areas as they were in 1960.

References

1. Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 8, 1960
2. "Nixon Will Stump Alaska Today, But Kennedy Is Favorite There". The New York Times. November 6, 1960. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
3. Chinn, Ronald E. “The 1968 Election in Alaska.” The Western Political Quarterly, vol. 22, no. 3, 1969, pp. 456–61. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/446336. Accessed 7 Apr. 2023.
4. "Our Campaigns - AK Territorial Delegate Race - Nov 04, 1930".
5. Anchorage Daily News. "From Mr. Alaska to Uncle Ted: How Stevens became Alaska's most influential leadery" . Retrieved August 13, 2022.
6. 1960 Alaska Electoral Dinner Invitation

Bibliography

• Slotnick, Herman E. (March 1961). Anderson, Totton J. (ed.). "The 1960 Election in Alaska". The Western Political Quarterly . 14 (1, Part 2, The 1960 Elections in the West). University of Utah: 300–304. doi:10.2307/443850. JSTOR   443850.
• "State of Alaska Secretary of State Official Returns General Election (November 8, 1960)" (PDF). Alaska Division of Elections.