PART ONE:
1960 Presidential Election:
Senator John F. Kennedy, the favorite to win the Democratic Nomination, has won the New Hampshire Primary on March 8h. Spending most of March in Wisconsin, he outspends, but barely loses the April 5th primary to Senator Hubert Humphrey.
The Humphrey Camp views this as a decisive victory and moves toward the April 12th Illinois Primary with a new wave of confidence. The Kennedy Camp remains optimistic and passes the loss in Wisconsin off as a "Neighbor Vote" being that Humphrey is from neighboring Minnesota. Proving correct, Kennedy scores a victory, with the help of Mayor Daley, in Illinois.
Scoring victories in Massachussetts and Pennsylvania, it seems that Senator Jack Kennedy has the party bosses and the nomination secured. A worn out Humphrey believes he would need a miracle to happen for him to stop Kennedy.
The next series of events would prove to be the miracle that Humphrey needed. Though often speculated but never reported because of a mutual agreement between most politicians and the press, Senator Kennedy engaged himself in several rendezvous' with several women on the camapaign trail. The press passed over most of the stories and labeled them as "hear say" until a May 2nd article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported a 17 year old Milwaukee girl was carrying the Senator's child and had also been recieving money from the Kennedy Camp to keep silent. The Kennedy Camp denied the allegations citing it as a publicity stunt. When the girl and her family came forward with a check personally signed by the Senator himself the Senator's credibility floundered. The Kennedy Camp was even further damaged when Jacquline Kennedy filed for divorce. Senator Humphrey commented on the situation in a speech that evening in Indiana. "How can we expect a man who has not been faithful to his marriage and family to be faithful to the Nation and the world? How can we give our trust to a man who cheats and lies and tries to cover it up? How can we trust Senator Kennedy... America needs a leader who has his priorities straight, and will set the bar of quality and honest leadership for future generations to strive for." Humphrey declares victory in Indiana as well as Ohio and D.C. on May 3rd and has been rejuvenated. The Happy Warrior is ready to march on with a new optimism.
Following Humphrey's victories, Senator Kennedy announces that he is suspending his campaign and asks the party to unite behind Humphrey in a letter to the DNC and several close friends:
"...I ask of everyone in the party to unite behind Senator Humphrey, for today we stand on the edge of a New Frontier - the frontier of the 1960's, the frontier of unknown opportunities and perlis, the frontier of unfulfilled hopes and dreams. Beyond that frontier lay the uncharted areas of science and space, unsolved problems of peace and war, unconqured problems of ignorance and prejudice, and unanswered questions of poverty and surplus. We need a leader who can lead us into that frontier and lead America as well as the world in the 1960's. These are the goals I had hoped to achieve, but my private actions have hurt any chances that I ever had of achieving the Presidency. To the people whom I have hurt the most - my family, my staff, and the people who were willing to give me a chance for the nomination, there is nothing I can say or do that will change what has happened. Let us move into tomorrow with the optimism and confidence that their is still someone who is willing to fight for America. That man is Senator Humphrey." Humphrey scores Primary victories in four more states: West Virginia, Maryland, Oregon and South Dakota.
When the July convention came, Humphrey stood alone for the nomination despite a "Draft Stevenson" camp and rumors that Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson would throw his hat into the ring. Fending off Stevenson, and Johnson never getting into the race, Humphrey was nominated by the Democrats on the third day of the convention. "As we move into this new decade let it be said by future generations that the 1960s was the decade that changed America forever.... With the will to work for the betterment of mankind, we together, can make America a Golden Society." Humphrey said to raucous cheers and applause. It was discovered years later that the Kennedy family had lobbied party bosses Richard Daley and Michael DiSalle into supporting Humphrey.....
COMING UP: The Election Part TWO