"Party Animals" by Ernesto Sanchez

Party Animals
We are all familiar with the Democratic donkey and the Republican elephant. Most of us have seen the pachyderm and the beast of burden in countless political cartoons, but how did they come to be the official "mascot" for the two parties?
"Righty" the elephant, as he is known today, was first conceived in the mind of political cartoonist Thomas Nast in 1874. He is also credited for popularizing the donkey, now known as "Lefty", however the donkey was not one of his creations.
The donkey first appeared when Andrew Jackson ran for president in 1828.
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