BU Sociologist Thomas Whalen Offers his POV on Distrusting Election Results
Back in 1960, there were many serious questions raised about the narrow electoral victory Democratic nominee John F. Kennedy had eked out over his Republican opponent—then–Vice President Richard M. Nixon. Rumors abounded about serious irregularities existing in the final vote counts in Illinois and Texas—two states with long-standing notoriously corrupt Democratic political machines that were believed responsible for putting Kennedy over the top in the Electoral College. Adding grist to this “stolen election” narrative, longtime Chicago mayor and presidential kingmaker, Richard Daley, reportedly called Kennedy in Hyannis Port on election night and cryptically informed him that with “a little help from our friends, you will take Illinois…”
To read more, visit BU Today, where this article originally appeared on October 24, 2024.