Tuesday, November 6, 1962: U.S. elections

Richard Nixon's defeat in California would get most of the headlines, but the elections would also see victories by several politicians who would rise to national prominence in the coming years -- George Wallace, Ted Kennedy and George McGovern among them.
* "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 1962" (U.S. Goverment Printing Office): @

* Miami News, November 7: @

* Life magazine, November 16: @

* Nixon -- Two years after narrowly losing the presidency to John F. Kennedy, Nixon is defeated by incumbent Democrat Pat Brown in the race for California's governorship. In conceding the race on November 7, Nixon holds what he calls his "last press conference," telling the media that "you don't have Nixon to kick around anymore."

* Audio of press conference (from www.history.com): @
* Video of closing words: @
* "Media Bias in Presidential Election Coverage, 1948-2008" (David W. D'Alessio, 2012; see Chapter 1): @
* Entry on exact wording (from Language Log, blog at University of Pennsylvania): @

* See earlier posts by clicking on "Nixon" label below. 

(Photo from November 7 press conference; from Corbis Images)

* Wallace -- In his second bid for the Alabama governorship, the former circuit judge was assured of victory when he won the Democratic runoff in May; the Republican Party did not field a candidate for the general election.
* Entry from Encyclopedia of Alabama: @

* Entry from Alabama Department of Archives and History: @

* Timeline of Wallace's Life (from PBS.org): @

* "George Wallace: American Populist" (Stephen Lesher, 1995): @
* Earlier entry on Wallace comic book: @

(Campaign poster from www.legacyamericana.com)

* Kennedy -- The younger brother of President Kennedy wins a U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts. JFK, who had been re-elected to the Senate in 1958, had resigned the seat in 1960 after he won the presidency. The seat was filled by Benjamin Smith until the special election in 1962.

* tedkennedy.org: @

* Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate: @
* Photo gallery of Senate campaign from Time.com: @

(Photo taken after the September Democratic primary; from Corbis Images)

* McGovern -- The former director of the Food for Peace program was elected senator from South Dakota; he would be the Democratic nominee for president in 1972.
* Entry from Biographical Directory of the United States Congress: @
* Food for Peace website: @

(1962 photo from John F. Kennedy Presidential Library)

* John Connally -- elected governor of Texas; he would be shot and wounded when President Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963.

* Entry from Texas State Historical Association: @


* George Romney -- elected governor of Michigan; he would seek the Republican nomination for president in 1968.
* "Romney's Way: A Man and an Idea" (T. George Harris, 1967): @

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