It was the male vote that elected JFK, the female majority went for Eisenhower’s veep.
I can remember the 1960 election. We listened to the debates on the radio since we didn't have a TV. I remember reading an article (maybe in The Saturday Evening Post) about the election--don't remember the details but it ended with something like "it's too soon to count Nixon out." I remember my Dad telling me in 1956 that they were voting for Eisenhower but I don't think I realized there was someone else they could have voted for.