![]() ![]() The 2000 election was not the first during which the news media used colored maps to depict voter preferences in the various states, but it was the first time the current red-blue terminology was used. According to The Washington Post, journalist Tim Russert invented these terms during his televised coverage of the 2000 United States presidential election. As late as the 1990s, Democrats were often represented by red and Republicans by blue. The 21st-century association of colors in American politics is contrary to the long-standing conventions of political color in most other countries whereby red symbols (such as the red flag or red star) are associated with leftist politics. Dark blue and red are 100% members of the party. The darker the shade, the higher percentage of members of that party. Incumbent House of Representative members by state. Contrast with color usage in other countries That same year, a color supplement included with a July issue of The Washington Post used red for Republican-favoring states, blue for Democratic-favoring states, yellow for "doubtful" states and green for territories that did not have a presidential vote. In 1908, The New York Times printed a special color map, using blue for Democrats and yellow for Republicans, to detail Theodore Roosevelt's 1904 electoral victory. There was one historical use, associated with boss rule, of blue for Democrats and red for Republicans: during the late 19th century and early 20th century, Texas county election boards used color-coding to help Spanish-speaking and illiterate voters identify the parties however, this system was not applied consistently in Texas and was not replicated in any other state. The parties themselves had no official colors, with candidates variously using either or both of the national color palette of red and blue (white being unsuitable for printed materials). Later, in the 1888 presidential election, Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison used maps that coded blue for the Republicans, the color perceived to represent the Union and " Lincoln's Party", and red for the Democrats. ![]() However, at that time, a maker of widely-sold maps accompanied them with blue pencils in order to mark Confederate force movements, while red was for the union. ![]() This may have been a holdover from the Civil War, during which the predominantly Republican north was considered "blue". Traditional political mapmakers, at least throughout the 20th century, had used blue to represent the modern-day Republicans, as well as the earlier Federalist Party. The colors red and blue are also featured on the United States flag. Although many red states and blue states stay in the same category for long periods, they may also switch from blue to red or from red to blue over time. ![]() However, the perception of some states as "blue" and some as "red" was reinforced by a degree of partisan stability from election to election - from the 2016 election to the 2020 presidential election, only five states changed "color" and as of 2020, 35 out of 50 states have voted for the same party in every presidential election since the red-blue terminology was popularized in 2000, with only 15 having swung between the 2000 presidential election and the 2020 election. Light blue stripes denote one Independent senator.Īll states contain considerable amounts of both liberal and conservative voters (i.e., they are "purple") and only appear blue or red on the electoral map because of the winner-take-all system used by most states in the Electoral College. Purple states denote one Republican and one Democrat from the state. Blue and red denote two Republican or two Democratic senators respectively. ![]()
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