The story behind political party mascots

While the mascots of Democrats and Republicans are well known, you may not be aware of the origins behind them.

The Democratic donkey was first used in Andrew Jackson's 1828 presidential campaign.

During the election, his enemies called him... a jackass.

Jackson embraced the name and used the jackass as a symbol. The Democratic Party continued to use the donkey as a symbol of the common man.

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The donkey stuck when Thomas Nast published a political cartoon in "Harper's Weekly" in 1874.

The cartoon titled "The Third Term Panic" shows a donkey wearing lion's skin scaring away other animals.

One of the animals was an elephant with "the republican vote" written on it.

This is where the republican party found their mascot.

Click through the gallery below to see photos of political throwbacks:

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