Cornell Capa began the 1960 campaign season a stalwart Adlai Stevenson supporter, having closely covered Stevenson's 1952 and 1956 presidential bids for Life magazine. In the course of working on a story for Life on the nature of American politics, Capa first encountered John F. Kennedy during the Wisconsin primary. After Kennedy secured his party's nomination at the Democratic National Convention, Capa covered his campaign for Life. When Kennedy was elected, Capa was inspired to create a book on the first hundred days of the Kennedy presidency. He enlisted nine fellow Magnum photographers in his effort, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Elliot Erwitt, and Burt Glinn. That book, titled Let Us Begin: The First 100 Days of the Kennedy Administration, was published on the 110th day, and is often cited as the first example of "instant history."

Drawn from the collection of the International Center of Photography, the photographer's archives, and the Time-Life Picture Collection, JFK for President includes over 100 images, many of which have not been previously published including rarely seen color images.

Co-published with The International Center of Photography, New York