JFK got elected because his daddy made it so. Bootlegger during prohibition makes some interesting business partners, including "the Outfit" in Chicago. Ol' Joe did brisk business with his Italian distributors in the Second City. That paid off decades later when Joe's boy was running for President. Add in that Ol' Joe owned the largest building the world at the time, The Merchandise Mart located downtown. It was so big that it had it's own zip code. This put Ol' Joe in cahoots with the Democratic Machine that is Chicago politics. Ol' Joe needed a favor in 1960. He called on his Italian business partners and the old school Irish Democratic Machine that still stinks up the city today to carry Illinois. Viola, his son gets the Oval Office.
