The media has always loved the Kennedys far more than the public does. John Kennedy quite possibly would have been a one term president had he not been assassinated. His internal polling wasn't good, and he was at risk of losing Texas, which had not ever voted Republican in any presidential election. That said, they are an interesting bunch to study. It's kind of a combination of the Ewings from the series Dallas and the Sopranos.
Given the election practices in Texas, he would have never lost the election, unless Johnson and Connelly wanted him to.
Not true. Texas and lots of southern states voted for Hoover in 1928 mainly beacause Al Smith was Catholic. Texas also voted for Eisenhower both in 1952 and 1956. Eisenhower was born in Texas, was a popular victorious general, and the Truman administration stole offshore Texas oil between 3 and 10 miles from the coast. In the annexation treaty, Texas claimed waters 3 leagues from shore (9 nautical miles, a little over 10 statute miles). Eisenhower promised to sign legislation to give back the mineral rights to Texas.