Campaign Trail Results: Game #843652
Play The Campaign Trail
This Game:
- Year: 1960
- Player Candidate: John F. Kennedy
- Running Mate: Hubert H. Humphrey
- Difficulty Level: Impossible
- Winner Take All Mode?: Yes
- Game Played:
View overall results, or a specific state:
| Candidate | Electoral Votes | Popular Votes | Pop. Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| ---- Richard Nixon | 488 | 41,481,687 | 61.92 |
| ---- Harry Byrd | 49 | 3,756,748 | 5.61 |
| ---- John F. Kennedy | 0 | 21,753,785 | 32.47 |
Visits:
- Texas:9
- South Carolina:2
- New Mexico: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 Hubert H. Humphrey as your running mate?I've been very impressed with Hubert Humphrey's ideas and moral courage throughout his political career. He is the type of person who would make a great President of this country.
- At a campaign stop today in Milwaukee, your running mate, Hubert H. Humphrey, seemed to promise that your Administration would propose extensive federal civil rights legislation. Do you stand by his statement?I favor a more cautious approach really. I'm a little concerned by some of the tactics we've seen recently in the civil rights movement.
- There has been a proposal for a series of television debates between you and Kennedy. Is this something you are interested in?Let's be cautious with this idea. Nixon is a skilled debater, and the last thing we need right now is a campaign setback on national television.
- 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?Let's gather some of these leaflets and show them to the media and to major newspapers. I think they demonstrate the lengths that some people will go to discredit my candidacy.
- 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?I am Catholic and proud of it. I will not respond to bigoted attacks or innuendo, and I trust that these attacks will only help me by driving higher Catholic turnout.
- 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?These activists are trespassing on the property of lawful businesses. I think there are better methods of pushing for change in the South.
- 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?This program would represent a massive new financial commitment for the federal government, when care of the elderly properly rests with the affected family.
- Do you believe that the islands of Quemoy and Matsu should fall within the United States defense perimeter in Asia?I'm not sure it's practical or desirable from a military standpoint to defend two tiny islands that are much closer to the Chinese mainland than they are to Formosa.
- Is the United States adequately prepared to defend against the Soviet threat today?We can never be fully satisfied, but we have certainly held our own in the Cold War over the past eight years, compared to where we were during the Korean War.
- Do you believe the United States is adequately prepared to defend against the Soviet threat over the next ten years?I am as satisfied as I can be. With sound defense policies and strong economic growth, we should continue to maintain our advantage over the Soviet Union.
- 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?We have too much of a farm surplus right now, and we need to reduce subsidies for production so that prices can fall into balance and benefit the consumer.
- What is your opinion on the current level of education funding in the United States? Would you increase federal education funding, even if it meant higher taxes or a larger budget deficit?We need to minimize the federal funding of education, even in block grants. It could easily open the door to federal control of our schools.
- Would you support the passage of a federal civil rights bill as President to address the worst excesses of segregation in the South?I would not support a measure like this. This would be an unnecessary and unconstitutional interference into the rights of our states.
- 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?I will give a statement encouraging the State of Georgia to protect the safety of Mr. King, while criticizing him for participating in these inflammatory and illegal protests.
- Are you satisfied with the economy and the economic policies of this country over the past eight years?We need more spending and lower interest rates, and we need to repeal the Taft-Hartley Act and put more money into the hands of the American people.
- Do you support a minimum wage of $1.25 per hour, with some exceptions for small business? Such a measure was recently defeated in Congress.I believe a minimum wage is at the very least a bad economic idea, and possibly unconstitutional. I do not support this increase.
- 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.
- Should the United States apologize to the Soviet Union for the controversy surrounding the downed U-2 spy plane and surrounding espionage?We lost a lot of ground diplomatically after this event, and much of that could have been avoided had we issued a formal apology.
- Did Dwight Eisenhower do the right thing when he sent federal troops to Little Rock to ensure the integration of the high school there?We should have found a better way to resolve this issue, rather than intrude into the sovereignty of an American state.
- Has the United States adequately defended against the Communist threat in Indochina? Would you support further action there if necessary?I would support the use of massive air strikes or tactical nuclear weapons to defend our ally, South Vietnam.
- What is your position on the power of labor unions in the United States?We need to do anything we can to reduce the power of labor unions in this country, including a national right-to-work law.
- Do you believe that current levels of defense spending are adequate?In the final analysis, every dollar spent on defense is taken from more productive uses within our economy. I will look for ways to find common ground with the Soviet Union so that we can cut defense spending.
- Where will you spend your final day before the election?We will focus on Texas and the South.