close
close

Guiltandivy

Source for News

    • Who is blue and who is red? A look at how political colors came to be
    Update Information

    Who is blue and who is red? A look at how political colors came to be

    Kathleen William Posted on

    We've been hearing about “red states” and “blue states” for years, so that must have been a thing since America adopted a two-party system… right? Simply put: no.

    The designation of colors for specific parties, in this case red for Republicans and blue for Democrats, is so ingrained in the political arena that it's hard to believe it actually began during the 2000 election. Previously, the color distinction changed every presidential election cycle.

    Here's a look at how red and blue became the colors of choice and why they changed to identify specific parties.

    America decides: View Tennessee general election results

    play

    Why politicians change parties during their term in office. What we know.

    For over a century, politicians changed party affiliations while in office, sometimes leading to political unrest. Here's what we know.

    When did it become “Republicans red” and “Democrats blue”?

    It was probably thanks to an arbitrary design by ABC.

    During the network's 1984 election coverage, then-ABC anchor David Brinkley offered a haphazard on-air explanation for the decision: “Red, R, Reagan – that's why we went red,” CNN reports.

    From then on, other televised news outlets followed suit, soon showing mostly Republicans in red and Democrats in blue, but previously the colors were usually reversed (blue for Republicans and red for Democrats) or just a random color.

    It wasn't until the 2000 election that there was a lasting change across the board for new branches.

    Stay up to date: Download our app for breaking election news and alerts

    Who is blue and who is red?

    The 2000 presidential election between Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore is considered the longest election in modern political history and lasted weeks until Gore lost the race to Bush on December 13, 2000. It was also the pivotal moment in which the color schemes we now use to identify which party won which state were established.

    USA TODAY, along with several other news outlets, used the red and blue color scheme to indicate which party won in each state.

    “The reason I did it was because at that point, everyone was already doing it,” Paul Overberg, then a database editor who designed USA TODAY’s electoral map, told Smithsonian magazine about the choice of color scheme.

    Do any of the political parties have an official color?

    No, neither Republicans nor Democrats have an official party affiliation.

    Sign in: Get election news and other breaking news delivered to your email

    What colors were used before the 2000 election?

    Well, before the 1950s there wasn't even an election night on television.

    The first televised election night took place in 1952 and followed the results of the presidential race between Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower and Democrat Adlai Stevenson, according to History.com. And back then there weren't the color-coated cards we have today, but rather a counting system that was updated by hand as the results came in.

    Until the 1970s, much election night coverage was broadcast in black and white, and many newspapers used monochrome printing based on contrast rather than color.

    As technology advanced, election night was also broadcast, but which color was used to distinguish candidates depended more on what channel you were watching and where you lived in the country. But blue has always been more closely linked to conservative politics than it is today.

    In the 1970s and beyond, blue was a predominant color used by Republicans in their campaign logos and was even used to represent presidential election victories. Most broadcast news began to align their color usage by adopting a page from the British.

    “Without thinking about it, we said blue for conservatives, because that's how the parliamentary system is in London, red for the more liberal party,” Roy Wetzel, then general manager of NBC's election division, told Smithsonian Magazine in 2012. “And that was the end of it. We just did it.”

    On election night 1984 in Washington, D.C., a giant map of the United States was placed on the back wall of the Republican headquarters, and organizers tore off the states' green envelopes to reveal the blue fabric of the 49 states in which Ronald Reagan won that election had won, according to CNN.

    And although Republicans used the color blue in their campaigns, Democrats also used the color frequently.

    This story has been updated to add video.

    Tagged:

    LEAVE A RESPONSE

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Kathleen William
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like

    ads