Republican Party of Florida "…comes off less like a joke and more like an intentional smear." The mascot symbol, historically, is the elephant. A political cartoon by Thomas Nast, published in "Harper's Weekly" on November 7, 1874, is considered the first important use of the symbol. In the early 20th century, the usual symbol of the Republican Party in Midwestern states such as Indiana and Ohio was the eagle, as opposed to the Democratic rooster. This symbol still appears on Indiana ballots. After the 2000 election, the color red became associated with the GOP although it has not been officially adopted by the party.
History of the United States Republican Party campaign rallies, among other issues dealing with the tone and tenor of his campaign, would result in the GOP losing the presidential election and lead to significant losses for the party in that year's Congressional elections. Trump went on to defeat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, which is arguably the biggest upset in political history. After the 2016 elections, Republicans maintained a majority in the Senate, House, Governorships and elected Trump as President. The Republican Party is set to control 69 of 99 state legislative chambers in 2017, the most it has held in history; and at least