Did Eisenhower cost Nixon the 1960 election?

[Sir Mohamed]

For all the talk about potential fraud in IL and TX or Nixon's performance in the TV debates, wasn't Eisenhower a bigger reason Nixon narrowly lost the 1960 election? Ike was still a popular prez at the end of his 2nd term and he didn't really start actively campaigning until very late in the cycle. If he started campaigning and praising his VP earlier on, that may have carried him over the finish line?

Or is Eisenhower involvement or lack thereof overrated and just shows that the popularity of outgoing incumbents is just transferable to their party's nominee? Same was the case with Clinton in 2000 and Obama in 2016, when their party's candidate ran medicore campaigns and narrowly lost. 1988 would be the exception of the rule, although in my honest opinion Dukakis' weakness was a bigger factor than Reagan's popularity.

[Podgy the Bear]

Nixon did discuss this in his autobiography.  He related that Eisenhower had planned an extensive set of campaign appearances for Nixon in the last couple of weeks before the election.  However, both Mamie Eisenhower and Ike's physician were extremely concerned and worried about Eisenhower's health status.   In the end, Nixon told Eisenhower not to make the appearances.

According to Nixon, Eisenhower was scheduled to make stops in MO, IL, and NJ--all states that JFK won by very slim margins.   It could have made a difference--maybe slightly less than 2000, where Bill Clinton could have easily moved FL and NH into the Gore column.