Nebraska mattered in 1960 because it was one of only 16 states that held a presidential primary. The other 34 states held caucuses and conventions in which the selection of the delegates to the national convention were controlled by the party leaders. During the 1960 cycle, approximately two- thirds of the delegates were selected by the party bosses. John F. Kennedy ran in Nebraska to prove to the party leaders that he was a electable as a Catholic candidate in a predominantly Protestant farm state.
With the approach of the 1960 election year, many considered John F. Kennedy a dark horse candidate for president. His record in the Senate was less accomplished when it was compared to the records of his opponents for the Democratic nomination, fellow Senators Lyndon Johnson of Texas, Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota and Stuart Symington of Missouri.
From the very beginning, Kennedy viewed Nebraska as key to his nomination. His first campaign foray in Nebraska was in 1957, in which he was accompanied by Nebraska native Ted Sorensen. Sorensen served as the candidates’ campaign companion, speechwriter and policy adviser. During that initial trip to Nebraska, Kennedy addressed a University of Nebraska student convocation in Lincoln on May 18, 1957. He also campaigned in Omaha.
The Massachusetts senator returned in 1958 to campaign at a meeting of Midwestern Democrats. That same year, he and Jackie celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary in Omaha. Younger brother Ted also accompanied the candidate and his wife on this campaign swing.
Kennedy began to lay the foundation for his campaign by lining up support from Nebraska Democratic activists, including the influential Bernard Boyle of Omaha. In addition, the Kennedy campaign began to organize in Nebraska. This all occurred one year before his opponents began to campaign in Nebraska, which helped him outmaneuver them.
In 1959, Kennedy embarked on a three-day campaign tour of the state in which he visited 10 towns, including several appearances in Lincoln. While he was there, Boyle held a party for Kennedy on August 9 at his home at 90th and Hickory, in what was then Omaha’s far west suburbs. At the event, Kennedy told several hundred Nebraska Democrats that their state would be key to his nomination.
Attendees at the gathering remember that Kennedy looked at ease and confident even though he was surrounded by dozens of reporters, photographers and Democratic activists. The attendees noticed the candidate’s accent and the humorous way he pronounced the name of the state — “Nebrasker.’’ Those same Democrats were also impressed by his charm, intelligence and sense of humor.
While he was there, Kennedy held a press conference with the Nebraska reporters. He eluded questions about whether he would run for president, saying it had been discussed only “in a general way’’ during a private meeting with his supporters. But at the same time, he talked up the Nebraska primary, calling it a high priority that his opponents should compete in.
The Kennedy campaign established the most extensive county organization seen to date in a Nebraska primary. He made at least five Nebraska trips after the Boyle picnic in Omaha, including one that took him to the western end of the state to Scottsbluff. At other times. Robert and Ted, and his mother, Rose, campaigned on his behalf.
On Jan. 2, 1960, Kennedy made his candidacy official, when he declared he would seek the presidency. Later that month, he made an unexpected visit to Omaha. He officially announced he would compete in the Nebraska primary and challenged the other Democratic candidates to campaign there.
However, by the time 1960 had arrived, Kennedy’s early campaigning in Nebraska essentially had cleared the field of active opponents. Nevertheless, the Massachusetts senator continued to campaign vigorously in the Cornhusker State. He wrapped up his campaign with appearances in Omaha and Lincoln and romped to a landslide victory.
Kennedy won the Nebraska primary with 88.7 percent of the popular vote. However, the popular vote was a mere beauty contest. The real fight was over the delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Kennedy secured 18 delegates to six for all his other opponents combined.
That kind of blow out victory for Kennedy in a Protestant majority, farm state was never guaranteed and it mattered, Robert Kennedy told Nebraska’s delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. If his brother had been defeated in Nebraska, Kennedy said, “he would have been finished.”
Sources:
https://www.jfklibrary.org/archives/other-resources/john-f-kennedy-speeches/university-of-nebraska-19570518
https://www.jfklibrary.org/archives/other-resources/john-f-kennedy-speeches/omaha-ne-19600507
https://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/nebraska/recalling-john-kennedy-s-nebraska-ties/article_374e2a86-3aa8-52cd-a129-a751c60ea715.html?mode=nowapp
https://omaha.com/news/local/jfk-60-years-later-young-candidates-charisma-endures-in-omaha-photo/article_fcba4ade-88a6-11ee-a20c-a3b5f51d004e.html
Dennis P. Crawford co-authored “Robert F. Kennedy: The Road Not Taken From Nebraska to the White House” with his daughter Laura J. Crawford. Nebraska History Magazine published his article “Robert Kennedy’s Remarkable Speech at Creighton University” in the Summer 2023. His book “Three Yards Away: The 1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers, College Football’s Would Be Champions” will be published in 2026 by McFarland Publishing. His article on the 1972 Nebraska Democratic Presidential Primary will be published by Nebraska History Magazine in 2027.
