Nixon vs. Kennedy Election 1960 Richard Milhouse Nixon lost the election of 1960 by a slim margin of only 113,057 votes. This can be attributed to unforeseen circumstances and poor campaign planning. The election wasn't based on the issues that year, America was after style and charisma. Since most of the election coverage was on TV, Kennedy was able to use his boyish good looks to his advantage. Nixon spent a critical part of his campaign in the hospital. That and his overbooked schedule caused him to appear tired and feeble to the voting public. Richard Milhouse Nixon was a former law