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.
Political positions of the Republican Party the 1980s that polls showed Republican opposition to abortion. Until 1988 there was little difference in pro-choice attitudes among Democrat and Republican voters. During the 1992 election, President Bush and Vice President Quayle tended to downplay the importance of abortion during the election so they would not risk turning away Republican voters who supported abortion rights. A substantial number of Pro-choice republicans in the 1992 election did not vote for President Bush because of his stance on abortion. Most of these pro-choice Republicans voted for Perot. While President Bush and the Republican Party took a pro-life stance in 1992, First