Campaign Trail Results: Game #1405556
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 1960
- Player Candidate: John F. Kennedy
- Running Mate: Lyndon Johnson
- Difficulty Level: Easy
- Winner Take All Mode?: No
- Game Played:
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- John F. Kennedy | 272 | 34,679,563 | 51.39 |
| ---- Richard Nixon | 252 | 32,438,996 | 48.07 |
| ---- Harry Byrd | 13 | 361,336 | 0.54 |
Visits:
- Texas:6
- Colorado:4
- Nebraska:1
- Wyoming:1
Answers:
- What kind of tone will you attempt to set in your campaign this fall?I have always been on the more moderate wing of the party. We need to emphasize my anti-Communism and my record as a Senator if we hope to win back the Eisenhower Democrats.
- What do you have to say about the selection of Lyndon Johnson as your running mate?Lyndon Johnson is a loyal Southerner and Senator from Texas who will spare no effort to advance a Democratic agenda.
- Lady Bird Johnson, LBJ's wife, has been spat on by a gathering of far-right protestors in a Dallas hotel lobby. What are your thoughts?I have no real comment to make, but I'm sure that the voters in Texas will be incensed at the incivility of this episode.
- There has been a proposal for a series of television debates between you and Kennedy. Is this something you are interested in?I would love to go against Nixon in a televised debate. We could use the exposure and I'm confident that I would win.
- Anti-Catholicism has been a huge issue thus far in the campaign, with hundreds of pamphlets and leaflets being distributed across the South and Midwest. Do you have any comment?I will attack the idea that any good Protestant would vote against my candidacy because I happen to be a Catholic.
- Anti-Catholicism continues to be an issue. Major newspapers have published a statement by 150 Protestant clergy, including Norman Vincent Peale, opposing any Catholic as President. Do you have any comment?Let's put a couple of statements into my next campaign speech to address this issue, and reassure the public that I take no orders from the Pope.
- There have been a large number of sit-ins recently, where black students and activists are sitting at whites-only lunch counters and department stores to advocate for desegregation. Do you support this movement?This movement has my full support, as do the other civil rights measures of our day. I will push for a Civil Rights Act as President.
- Richard Nixon has made "experience" the centerpiece of his campaign. What do you have to say on this point?I question this premise, to be frank. It's still not clear to me exactly what role Nixon had in the Eisenhower Administration, or what policies of his have been implemented.
- There was a recent effort in Congress to pass a program to provide medical care to elderly Americans, but it was narrowly defeated. Will you make a further push for this type of program as President?I would redouble our efforts on this front. Too many of our nation's elderly are unable to afford decent medical care in their advanced years.
- Currently the highest income tax bracket pays a rate of 91%. Will you work harder to cut tax rates as President?We need to cut this rate substantially. It is way too high.
- Is the United States adequately prepared to defend against the Soviet threat today?Cuba has been lost to the Soviet Union, providing a potential base for Communist aggression on the very doorstep of our nation. I am very unsatisfied with the current situation.
- Do you believe the United States is adequately prepared to defend against the Soviet threat over the next ten years?I don't know, to be perfectly frank. Things are going well for now, but we will have many challenges to meet in places like Cuba, Lebanon, Latin America, Indochina, and elsewhere.
- During the Great Depression, the federal government began a policy of farm subsidies to stabilize farm incomes and to target a specific output of each crop. Are these policies still necessary in 1960?I think these programs need to be phased out over time, but in such a way that we don't bring sudden instability to our nation's farm policy.
- Would you support the passage of a federal civil rights bill as President to address the worst excesses of segregation in the South?I am supportive of a civil rights bill and will work with Congress to get one written and passed.
- Recently, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested at a sit-in in Atlanta, and has now been sentenced to four months in prison for failing to get a Georgia driver's license after moving to that state. Do you have any comment or action you would like to take?Let's make a call to Mrs. King to offer our condolences, and let's demand the release of Mr. King.
- Are you satisfied with the economy and the economic policies of this country over the past eight years?We are on the right track economically. We can't deny that there was a recession in 1958, but the recovery has been strong and 1960 will see a very high rate of growth in this country.
- How serious, at the current time, do you believe the internal Communist threat is?The last thing we need is a return to excesses and witch-hunts of the early 1950s. We need to keep ourselves focused on the external Communist threat.
- Do you believe that Cuba has been lost to the Communists as of this time? If so, do you think it is partially the fault of the United States?We will defend our base at Guantanamo and do anything else that is necessary if Cuba continues its hostility. However, it is too early to make a conclusive determination at this point.
- Should the United States apologize to the Soviet Union for the controversy surrounding the downed U-2 spy plane and surrounding espionage?Absolutely not. We cannot show weakness in the face of the Soviet threat, and the Paris Summit collapsed from the intransigence of Nikita Khrushchev.
- Did Dwight Eisenhower do the right thing when he sent federal troops to Little Rock to ensure the integration of the high school there?He absolutely did, and I would like to see further action to desegregate our schools and enforce our civil rights.
- What would you do as President to combat increasing unemployment in America's industrial cities?We need more spending and should consider lower taxes to stimulate American economy and industry.
- Has the United States adequately defended against the Communist threat in Indochina? Would you support further action there if necessary?This is a situation that we need to watch carefully, and I am open to a variety of measures if necessary.
- What is your position on the power of labor unions in the United States?Labor unions have been needlessly undermined by the Taft-Hartley Act, and by self-serving investigations from both parties. I will do anything I can as President to support our nation's laborers.
- Do you believe that current levels of defense spending are adequate?We can always find areas for improvement, but we have successfully defended the United States and our allies from numerous Communist threats over the past eight years.
- Where will you spend your final day before the election?We will campaign up and down New York and the Eastern Seaboard.