The 1960 United States Senate election in Alaska was held on November 8, 1960. Despite Republican Presidential candidate Richard Nixon defeating John F. Kennedy in the state by a close margin, popular incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Bartlett was re-elected to a full term in office, defeating Republican dentist Lee McKinley.
Bartlett was considered unbeatable within the state, having support from both Democrats & Republicans. Dentist Lee McKinley defeated Lawrence Brayton, a leader in the minor Alaska Party before the race, in the primary, with Brayton endorsing McKinley and becoming a campaign manager for the south-central district. The party did not provide much support to McKinley, who also did not campaign personally. McKinley pledged to stand against socialism and excessive federal intervention and spending. McKinley was unable to spark interest, except for one incident where his campaign plane, which fit in with his reputation as the "Flying Dentist", was downed, and McKinley was left stranded for a day before being found by a bush pilot.
McKinley later took Secretary of State Hugh Wade to court over irregularities with the ballot, including the inability to inform voters that they could cross party line to vote and that the option to vote for a straight-party ticket had been designed as a circle rather than a square. Spending remained low, with the highest budget coming from Bartlett's campaign, who self-admittedly raised only $13,000.[1]
Republican primary
Candidates
Lawrence M. Brayton
Lee McKinley, dentist and Territorial Representative 1953–1955
^Slotnick, Herman E. “The 1960 Election in Alaska.” The Western Political Quarterly, vol. 14, no. 1, 1961, pp. 300–04. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/443850. Accessed 11 Apr. 2023.
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