WHY IS “RED” USED FOR REPUBLICANS & “BLUE” FOR DEMOCRATS?

 

 

…Since the year 2000, this cemented Red for Republicans and Blue for Democrats

 

The colors “Red” and “Blue” have often been used for the two sides of any political issue

 

The association of red for Republicans and blue for Democrats was only finalized in US politics due to an election that went to the Supreme Court for the final decision on who won.

In any 2020 electoral map, the color scheme is clear: Red is for Republicans, Blue is for the Democrats. But where did this universal agreement on color-coding come from? 

The “Republican” vs “Democrat” color difference is relatively new. Though red and blue have often been used to stand in for opposing sides in US political history.  It's only since that 2000 election that red and blue have been assigned to these political parties consistently. 

That year, The New York Times and USA Today published full-color electoral maps for the first time, and they assigned the colors fairly arbitrarily. 

"[R]ed begins with r, Republican begins with r," per senior graphics editor Archie Tse . "It was a more natural association."

The political parties have since embraced their assigned colors, with Democrats urging citizens to "Vote Blue!" and with supporters of Donald Trump donning red "Make America Great Again" hats.  But it could have easily gone the other way.  This is according to The History Channel.  The first colorful electoral maps on television were broadcast in 1976, but there was no consistency between networks as to what colors were used for which party. Back then, Red often stood for Democrats, and Blue for Republicans. 

Going back further in time, red and blue were common options for differentiating political parties or two sides of any issue. For example, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, bosses of political parties in South Texas color-coded ballots red and blue for Republican and Democrat. They did this in order to "assist" illiterate or non-English-speaking voters at the polls.  However, this assistance often involved outright election fraud as they would switch candidates from blue to red, and then reverse the names, depending on who and which party they wanted to favor. 

Republicans were often red in this system, though the colors varied from county to county. According to historical maps, maps showing party affiliation by red and blue, they date back to at least 1883, though sometimes they were reversed.  Red often stood for Democrats and blue for Republicans.

The long, arduous election between George W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000 cemented the red and blue designations for Republicans and Democrats.  Again, according to The History Channel, the major news networks "banded together" to keep the colors consistent.  This made reporting contested electoral college numbers and the Florida recount a less confusing task.  It took weeks to call the election, and by that time the color associations were set. 

Using blue for all liberal and left-leaning parties and red for all conservative and right-leaning parties makes the United States odd among other nations, which often associate red with political parties on the left and blue with conservative parties. For example, the Conservative party in the United Kingdom uses blue, while the Labour party is symbolized by a red flag. 

Today Green or Purple is often used for Independent or third parties in many countries.

Copyright G. Ater 2020