[stockpirate]

Better question, who allowed the democrats to use the color blue and republicans red? Didn’t it used to be reversed?

[elcid1970]

IIRC it was during the 1980 election when Ronald Reagan trounced Jimmah Carter that the MSM dictated that electoral maps depict states for Reagan as red & those for the Peanut as blue.

The USSR was active & dangerous in those days and the color red denoted pro-communist leanings (which many Democrats were and are). Hence the intentional reversal.

[Jamestown1630]

I asked the same question, and I think I was told that in the past, they alternated the colors - and sometimes used other colors; but in recent years the Red-R/Blue-D has stuck.

-JT

[Ouderkirk]

Tim Russert changed the color scheme in 2000. Prior to that...red was for democRAT/communists.

[bjorn14]

I remember David Brinkley looking at the electoral map on election night in 1984 (Reagan landslide) and saying “it looked like a big blue, suburban swiming pool” I dunno when it changed, probably the MSM didn’t like the Dems being associated with Soviet red.

[Wildbill22]

You beat me to it.