Why were some people, especially from within the Democratic Party, worried that Kennedy was a risky option for president?
1 Answer
There were a number of factors related to his background.
Explanation:
Firstly he was Irish-American Catholic. As such he was the first and to date the only Catholic President in US history. This would not go down well among the WASP community (White Anglo-Saxon and Protestant.
Secondly he was from a liberal north-east state, Massachusetts who had little in common with millions of white Democratic voters in the south. On top of this he was from a very wealthy background.
Kennedy also did not have a wealth of experience in Congress and this was reflected in a number of failures notably with respect to civil rights legislation when he took office. Johnson was far more successful.
His father had close links with the mafia, who undoubtedly played a role in getting him elected, especially Sam Giancana in Illinois.
Their concerns were reflected in the fact that the result in 1960 was a very closely run affair.
