1960 : What if Nixon asked for recounts in HI, IL, MO, NM and NJ?

[UWS]

As Florida's senate and gubernatorial races are now in recount, which of course reminds the 2000 recount in Florida, it reminds me that in 1960, the states of Hawaii, Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico and New Jersey (which made a total of 63 electoral votes) are not only all states won by JFK with a margin of victory less than 1 % but also helped him to get over the top. In fact, if these states were flipped, Nixon would have won with 282 electoral votes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1960#Close_states

What if Nixon called for a recount in all of these states. Could the results in these states have been flipped or would JFK still win?

[Huey Long is a Republican]

As Florida's senate and gubernatorial races are now in recount, which of course reminds the 2000 recount in Florida, it reminds me that in 1960, the states of Hawaii, Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico and New Jersey (which made a total of 63 electoral votes) are not only all states won by JFK with a margin of victory less than 1 % but also helped him to get over the top. In fact, if these states were flipped, Nixon would have won with 282 electoral votes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1960#Close_states

What if Nixon called for a recount in all of these states. Could the results in these states have been flipped or would JFK still win?

It wouldn't have changed anything, really. He actually attempted to call for a recount, but Eisenhower told him to deal with defeat like a man and accept the results. By looking at the states, we can determine a difference and whether a recount could change anything:

Hawaii: 115 votes between Kennedy and Nixon. Result is very likely to be changed via recount

Illinois: 8858 votes between Kennedy and Nixon. It's possible, but not likely that a recount could change this result

Missouri: 9980 votes between Kennedy and Nixon. Again possible, but unlikely

New Jersey: 22091 votes between Kennedy and Nixon. There's a slim chance it could be changed, by usually the chance of the result changing is slim to none

New Mexico: 2294 votes between Kennedy and Nixon. possible, but unlikely like MO and IL

Even if recounts flipped those four states for Nixon, he would get 63 Electoral Votes and would still likely lose the Popular Vote. Plus, what would be stopping Kennedy from requesting recounts in states like Alaska, California, Florida, Montana, Washington, and Wisconsin? That's 70 Electoral Votes, and Nixon's home state, that could be flipped via recounts.

In the end, Nixon made the best choice possible and kept enough of his political career intact by listening to Eisenhower.Remember, recounts usually reflect poorly on the loser and rarely, if ever, change the results

[morgankingsley]

As Florida's senate and gubernatorial races are now in recount, which of course reminds the 2000 recount in Florida, it reminds me that in 1960, the states of Hawaii, Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico and New Jersey (which made a total of 63 electoral votes) are not only all states won by JFK with a margin of victory less than 1 % but also helped him to get over the top. In fact, if these states were flipped, Nixon would have won with 282 electoral votes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_1960#Close_states

What if Nixon called for a recount in all of these states. Could the results in these states have been flipped or would JFK still win?

It wouldn't have changed anything, really. He actually attempted to call for a recount, but Eisenhower told him to deal with defeat like a man and accept the results. By looking at the states, we can determine a difference and whether a recount could change anything:

Hawaii: 115 votes between Kennedy and Nixon. Result is very likely to be changed via recount

Illinois: 8858 votes between Kennedy and Nixon. It's possible, but not likely that a recount could change this result

Missouri: 9980 votes between Kennedy and Nixon. Again possible, but unlikely

New Jersey: 22091 votes between Kennedy and Nixon. There's a slim chance it could be changed, by usually the chance of the result changing is slim to none

New Mexico: 2294 votes between Kennedy and Nixon. possible, but unlikely like MO and IL

Even if recounts flipped those four states for Nixon, he would get 63 Electoral Votes and would still likely lose the Popular Vote. Plus, what would be stopping Kennedy from requesting recounts in states like Alaska, California, Florida, Montana, Washington, and Wisconsin? That's 70 Electoral Votes, and Nixon's home state, that could be flipped via recounts.

In the end, Nixon made the best choice possible and kept enough of his political career intact by listening to Eisenhower.Remember, recounts usually reflect poorly on the loser and rarely, if ever, change the results

Yeah as we learned from the beyond pointless 2016 recounts

[NewYorkExpress]

Nixon could have gotten a bunch of people in Illinois arrested by pointing out the obvious voter fraud there.

Of course, in 1968, he got elected President by interfering in peace negotiations to get America out of the Vietnam War, and then Watergate happened...so I have sympathy for him.

[MillennialModerate]

He would have looked like a sore loser.

And JFK would’ve still won.