Why Republicans are Red and Democrats are Blue
The association of Republicans with red and Democrats with blue in U.S. politics solidified in the public consciousness after the 2000 presidential contest between George W. Bush and Al Gore. Prior to 2000, the colors were often reversed, and their assignment depended on the news outlet and the election cycle.
The shift in color assignments began in 1984 when CBS adopted the scheme of labeling Republicans as red and Democrats as blue. This was followed by CNN during the 1992 presidential election and NBC in 1996, although NBC used a pink hue that year for Republican nominee Bob Dole. The major networks may have simply mimicked each other’s color schemes without coordination, eventually conforming to ABC’s rationale of associating red with Reagan.
The 2000 election was significant because color-coded maps became crucial for understanding the election results. The contentious race between Bush and Gore, characterized by recounts, litigation, and a Supreme Court ruling regarding Florida’s critical outcome, extended for over a month. Maps provided the media with a vital tool for illustrating how the race unfolded, both nationally and within Florida, where individual counties were tightly contested.
Research from the Washington Post into media transcripts since 1980 revealed that the first recorded reference to “red state” in media occurred during a segment on NBC’s ‘Today Show’ a week before the 2000 election. The terms “red states” and “blue states” gained widespread usage in the aftermath of the election, entering common discourse.
