King appreciated Kennedy’s willingness to take a risk and act on principle, knowing he might lose more votes in the South than he would gain in the North. Nixon, King said years later, missed an opportunity to take an early stand on civil rights. “So this is why I really considered him a moral coward and one who was really unwilling to take a courageous step and take a risk,” he said. “And I am convinced that because of that he lost the election.”
