Kennedy for President

Red, white, and blue background with an greyscale image of John F. Kennedy centered on the button. 

This button was made in support of John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign. Despite his youth, lack of foreign policy experience, and Catholic upbringing, Kennedy managed to capture the Democratic nomination. His opponent—Republican nominee Richard Nixon—campaigned on the success of the Eisenhower administration, to which he was vice president.

After the debates between Nixon and Kennedy—the first televised debates in US history—nearly all the criticism leveled at Kennedy for being either too 'young' or 'inexperienced' seemingly vanished overnight. His strong performance invariably helped Kennedy capture the remaining votes needed to catapult him to the White House. Kennedy narrowly won the election, but many historians cite his success in urban and industrial districts for the victory.