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 be allowed in certain circumstances and opposed a human life amendment to the Constitution. Ford later stated that he was pro-choice after he had left office and Betty Ford was supportive of the decision made by the court in "Roe v. Wade". The 1976 Republican Party Platform was the first to include a pro-life stance. This comes during the same year that the Hyde Amendment Was passed. Democrat and Republican Party elites and elected officials became more divided on the issue of abortion in the 1980s. It was not until after Republicans in Congress started consistently voting against abortion in