Who won California in the 1960 presidential election?

Nixon (Republican) carried California in 1960, winning its 32 electoral votes.

How many electoral votes did California have in 1960?

California cast 32 electoral votes in the 1960 presidential election.

Did California vote for the national winner in 1960?

No. California backed Nixon, while John F. Kennedy won the presidency nationally.

New Deal CoalitionCA · 32 EV

1960

California: Nixon carries 32 EV.

California cast its 32 electoral votes for Nixon (Republican). National winner: John F. Kennedy (Democratic) — California voted against the national winner this cycle.

What happened in California, 1960

In 1960, California awarded its 32 electoral votes to Nixon of the Republican party. Nationally the result broke the other way — John F. Kennedy (Democratic) won the presidency, leaving California among the states he did not carry.

It marked the 3rd consecutive election in which California backed the Republican party, a streak reaching back to 1952. The region divided — Oregon and Arizona joined California for the Republican ticket, while Nevada did not. Across the 44 presidential elections California has taken part in, it has most often sided with the Republican party (22 times). The vote fell within the New Deal Coalition — FDR, civil rights, and the long Democratic majority.

In the national count, John F. Kennedy took 303 of the 537 electoral votes, against Richard Nixon's 219. John F. Kennedy led the national popular vote with 49.72% of the ballots cast.

The 1960 national map

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