October 24, 1960 - Senator John F. Kennedy's Remarks at Rockford, IL, Coronado Theater Rally

‘’ I am delighted to be here. This county, this community, has not always been overwhelmingly Democratic, and I believe that the reception you have given to all of us that are running this year indicates that it is time that the Vice President came back to Illinois and started to look after it, because I think Illinois will go Democratic on November 8, and so will the United States.
Mr. Nixon, as you know, ordinarily runs as a rather ambiguous figure who is not really attached to any party, because parties have no significance but the other day he went down there and Senator Goldwater got him in a room down in Arizona and said "Dick, you are a Republican, you have got to admit it." So Nixon came out of the room rather shamefacedly and said, "Yes, I am a Republican and I endorse every Republican candidate from top to bottom with great pride."
I have been saying that, that I am a Democrat, for the past 14 years, because I believe the Democratic Party is associated with progress, because I believe the Democratic Party is associated with the public interest, and I do not need Barry Goldwater or anyone else to remind me that parties are important.
In fairness to the Vice President, I should say that he went to Jacksonville, Fla., the next day, and said party labels were not important. I should bring that out. But one of the reasons I am glad to be running this year in this State is because I run with three distinguished citizens of this State and country.