Nixon-Lodge jugate - Button

Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States from 1969–1974 and was also the 36th Vice President of the United States (1953–1961). Nixon was the only President to resign the office and also the only person to be elected twice to both the Presidency and the Vice Presidency. In 1960, Nixon launched his campaign for President of the United States, and chose former Massachusetts Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. as his running mate. His Democratic opponent was John F. Kennedy, and the race was close. Nixon campaigned on experience, but Kennedy called for new blood and claimed the Eisenhower-Nixon administration allowed the Soviet Union to overtake the U.S. in ballistic missiles (the "missile gap"). Nixon advocated stimulative tax cuts in what would become one of the core tenets of the supply-side theory of economics. A new medium was brought to the campaign: televised presidential debates. In the first of four debates, Nixon was recovering from illness and, wearing little makeup, looked wan and uncomfortable, in contrast to the composed Kennedy. Nixon's performance in the debate was perceived to be mediocre, though many people listening on the radio thought that Nixon had won. Nixon lost the election narrowly, accusing Kennedy of voter fraud, which he subsequently disavowed to avert a "Constitutional Crisis", a trap he was to fall into later. Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. (July 5, 1902 – February 27, 1985) was a Republican United States Senator from Massachusetts and a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Vietnam and the Holy See (as Representative). He was the Republican nominee for Vice President in the 1960 Presidential election.Nixon chose Lodge as his running mate in the hope that Lodge's presence on the ticket would force Kennedy to divert time and resources to securing his Massachusetts base, but Kennedy won his home state handily. The choice of Lodge proved to be controversial, as some conservative Republicans charged that Lodge had cost the ticket votes, particularly in the South, by his pledge (made without Nixon's approval) that if elected, Nixon would name at least one African-American to a cabinet post!