In 1960, Thurmond's electoral success was not limited to South Carolina or the Senate; despite not being an official candidate or having campaigned for any other office, Thurmond received 14 electoral votes for Vice President (as Senator Byrd's running mate). Though Both Byrd and Thurmond had long since moved on from the States Rights' Democratic Party, they were the decided protest ticket of several southern delegates and unpledged electors who refused to give their support to Kennedy, a Northern Catholic and staunch supporter of Civil Rights. Though their actual level of electoral support is difficult to determine, "the Byrd/Thurmond ticket" or "Unpledged Candidate", won a plurality of the vote of the vote in Mississippi, finished second (ahead of Nixon) in Alabama and third in Louisiana with 20% of the vote.