Final answer:
The 1960 election featured a close race between Kennedy and Nixon, with Kennedy winning by a slim margin after addressing fears about his Catholic faith and adding Johnson to the ticket. The 1968 election was marked by socio-political turmoil and the division of the Democratic Party, leading to Nixon's victory on a 'law and order' platform and promises about Vietnam War policy. Both elections were influenced by media, civil rights issues, and shifts in traditional voter bases.
Step-by-step explanation:
The election of 1960 was a tight contest between John F. Kennedy (Democrat) and Richard Nixon (Republican). Kennedy, leveraging major support from urban centers, won by a narrow margin of 118,550 popular votes and was also victorious in the Electoral College with 303 votes to Nixon's 219. During the campaigns, concerns about Kennedy being Roman Catholic raised fears about potential influence by the Pope. However, Kennedy's decision to add Lyndon B. Johnson, a Protestant Texan, as his vice presidential running mate assisted in securing support from the South.
In contrast, the 1968 election was marked by significant upheaval. The Democratic Party was deeply divided, primarily due to opposing views on the Vietnam War and civil rights issues. This division, along with socio-political tensions, allowed Republican Richard Nixon to win the presidency, partly thanks to his support from the previously Democratic South and his campaign promises addressing the anxieties of many Americans. Key issues of race, civil rights, and the Vietnam War were central to voter sentiment, which was influenced by Nixon's approach of 'law and order' and his policy of 'Vietnamization'.
The impact of the Kennedy-Nixon debates, the first ever televised presidential debates, cannot be understated. They significantly influenced the outcome of the 1960 election and set a new standard for the importance of media and public image in political campaigns. Furthermore, Kennedy's campaign capitalized on the situation of Martin Luther King's arrest to win over the black vote, which proved crucial to his victory.
Nixon's re-election campaign in 1972, following his first presidential term, focused on him pushing measures to slow civil rights progress and efforts to achieve economic stability. Foreign policy was seen as his area of triumph, despite his embattled domestic reputation due to various socio-political issues.