- 1960 Presidential Debates S U M M A R Y For the first time, the nominees of the two major parties met to debate during a general election. Congress suspended the equal time provision of the Federal Communications Act of 1934, and both Vice President Richard Nixon (R) and Sen. John Kennedy (D-Mass.) believed they had something to gain by debating. (928K QuickTime movie) There were a total of four ...cgi.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/debates/history/1960