Faculty Advisor

mary.anderson@salve.edu

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Although Kennedy’s success in the 1960 election is often attributed to his performance in the first televised presidential debates, I contend that the party affiliation of voters and proposed policies by Kennedy, specifically those targeting civil rights, held more weight in securing his victory. The Kennedy image had been carefully curated for over a decade prior to the election, and Kennedy’s performance in the first televised debates reinforced the calm and collected impression he wanted to make to the American people. While his debate performance held significance as it was the first to be televised and led to a discrepancy in opinion amongst audio and television consumers, Kennedy’s actual policy proposals and affiliation with the Democratic party were more likely to influence the vote than his debate performance.

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