The 1960 election in which Senator Kennedy eked out a win over Republican Vice President Richard Nixon, an election that handed the White House to a Democrat for the first time in eight years. Republicans challenged the results in 11 states altogether. There were investigations and lawsuits and recounts. In one state, the recount actually did change which candidate won the state, but it wasn't what the Republicans were after. By 1964, President Kennedy had been assassinated. LBJ was president and running for his own first full term. He was running on a civil rights platform. Johnson made it his number one legislative priority to pass the Civil Rights Act That JFK had been pushing for before he was killed.