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The Democratic Party's first association with the donkey came about during the 1828 campaign of Democrat Andrew Jackson, who ran on a populist platform (by the people, for the people) and used a slogan of "Let the People Rule." Jackson's opponents referred to him as a jackass (donkey). Jackson incorporated the jackass into his campaign posters.

The earliest connection of the elephant to the Republican Party was an illustration in an 1864 Abraham Lincoln presidential campaign newspaper, Father Abraham. It showed an elephant holding a banner and celebrating Union victories. During the Civil War, "seeing the elephant" was slang for engaging in combat, so the elephant was a logical choice to represent successful battles.