The Democratic Party in the US is often mistakenly called the Democratic Party. The party’s symbol is a donkey, which was originally used as an insult against Andrew Jackson but was later adopted by the party. The donkey represents the party’s populist leanings and contrasts with the Republican Party’s elephant symbol. Both symbols were initially meant to be unflattering, but have been embraced by their respective parties. Thomas Nast’s political cartoons may have influenced the popularity of both symbols.
Before we get into the answer to this question, we should first address a terminological issue: the difference between the “Democratic Party” and the “Democratic Party”. The proper name of the left-of-center political party in the United States is the Democratic Party. Some people, however, call the party the Democratic Party out of sheer confusion. Others call it the Democratic Party for rhetorical reasons.
The mascot or symbol of the Democratic Party, or more precisely the Democratic Party, in the United States is the donkey. The symbol was not initially meant to be flattering. Although many credit political cartoonist Thomas Nast with creating it in the 1870s, in reality the Democratic Party had used the donkey before. During the 1828 presidential election, opponents of Andrew Jackson had insulted him by calling him a dunce, and Jackson decided to take up the mantle of this insult and use it to his advantage. Jackson used the symbol in his campaign materials, agreeing at least in part with his opponents that it was “stubborn.”
Republicans continued to use the symbol as a near slur for several decades, possibly influencing Thomas Nast’s famous 1870s cartoon, which was published in the American magazine Harper’s Weekly. The symbol’s popularity remained, and Nast later used representations of both the elephant and donkey together, to represent various arguments between the Democratic and Republican parties. The Republican Party has adopted the elephant as its official mascot, but the Democrats, while they use the donkey in much material, have never made the donkey the official symbol of the Democratic Party.
There are several ways in which the mascot or symbol of the Democratic Party can be interpreted. Donkeys seem to lack the elephant’s strength, intelligence and reserve. However, as the Democrats have become a more populist-leaning party, the donkey’s simplicity and workhorse origins make sense. His humble nature contrasts with the way he has often been portrayed by Republicans: loud, stubborn, foolish, and unintelligent. On the other hand, the wise and strong elephant is often seen by Democrats as too big, potentially foolish and bloated.
You will see many representations of donkeys and elephants as symbols of their respective holidays. These mascots are still used extensively by cartoonists, to represent many different conflicts between sides. The rendering of the donkey as represented by the Democratic Party is very simple, with red, white and blue colors and three stars on the donkey’s body. It’s slightly more detailed than the classic rendition of the Republican elephant.
Often noted as an interesting point, is the idea that both sides chose mascots that weren’t flattering. Of further interest is that the popularity of the Democratic Party symbol, as well as that of the Republican Party, may be directly tied to the political designs of Thomas Nast. While his work criticized both sides, both sides were able to use that negative criticism in a positive way – a valuable skill in politics, to be sure.
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