How did Nixon manage to win Kentucky in 1960?

[Bandit3 the Worker]

Seeing how Kentucky didn't join the Confederacy until 2000, how did Nixon manage to win Kentucky in 1960?

Back then, Kentucky was one of the most Democratic states, and it isn't really that far south, so usually it still supported national Democrats. It was one of Truman's best states. I think Stevenson even won it in 1952 or 1956 (possibly both). It was also one of LBJ's better states. So why did it go GOP in 1960...for NIXON, of all people???

The map of Kentucky for 1960 broken down by county is even weirder. Some usually Republican counties in central Kentucky went very heavily Democratic, while some Democratic counties around Hazard went Republican.

[Nym90]

There was probably a good deal of anti-Catholicism at work, especially in those traditional Democratic areas you mention.

Kentucky did vote for Stevenson in 1952, but not in 1956.

This was about the time Kentucky started to shift to the right; Stevenson in 1952 was the last Democrat from outside the South to carry Kentucky. But this was still before the Civil Rights Act so you are correct to point out that it is unusual.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

There was probably a good deal of anti-Catholicism at work, especially in those traditional Democratic areas you mention.

Those areas have very few Catholics, but they're not really anti-Catholic. Southern West Virginia also has very few Catholics, but Kennedy absolutely stomped Nixon there.

Kennedy lost some heavily Catholic areas in Wisconsin and Iowa that are usually Democratic.

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I don't think Kentucky as a whole started shifting to the right until pretty recently. Dukakis didn't lose Kentucky by all that much, if I remember correctly. I think Humphrey came fairly close too.

[King]

People voted for him.

[Gustaf]

People voted for him.

People?

OR ROBOTS???

Perhaps we will never know...

[True Democrat]

People voted for him.

People?

OR ROBOTS???

Perhaps we will never know...

I literally LOLed on that one.

[Keystone Phil]

You mean Bandit is admitting a Republican won Kentucky? Uh...I am worried.