SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) -- This week's midterm elections changed the political landscape in parts of the country. Randy Coleman of San Rafael asked this Good Question: How did states become red for Republicans and blue for Democrats?

ANSWER: According to Professor Francis Neely at San Francisco State University, the designation of Red and Blue states originated as a function of color TV in the 1960s. The networks needed a way to differentiate between Democratic and Republican states in the Presidential election.

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