Lynn University Finds Clear Trends in Necktie Preferences During Presidential Debates

Presidential debates are famous for their catch phrases and game changing moments, evidence Al Gore's "lock box," George H.W. Bush's checking his watch and Ronald Reagan's "There you go again." Candidate neckties have received much less focus, even though they have been worn 42 times since the period of regular debates began in 1976. Since then, several clear trends have emerged, especially during the more recent red state vs. blue state era.

Lynn University of Boca Raton, Fla., which is hosting the third presidential debate of 2012 on Oct. 22, shows that red has become the necktie color of choice in recent years. In fact, since the Bush-Gore debates of 2000, red or predominantly red neckties have won out at the debates in something of a necktie landslide; red ties have outnumbered blue ties 13 to 5.

To be completely fair, not all of those red ties have been solid red. Some have been red with a slight pattern. And in 2008, both John McCain and Barack Obama wore red ties with white stripes: Obama in the second debate that year and McCain in the third.

"We all think of the political issues but who ever really considers what a politician's tie is saying about them? It has become a fact that a necktie has a definite, political meaning and is an advertisement in itself," said Sarah McManus, fashion stylist, blogger, and owner of shopsarahmac.com. "Overall, whether it is a handshake, a smile, or the topics themselves, a tie is a very calculated statement."

Since the 2000 presidential debates, all of the candidates have consistently worn brighter ties, which were rarely seen during more conservative fashion times. In 1980, for instance, both Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter wore black ties in their one and only presidential debate. Reagan sported a black tie with a slight pattern; Carter wore a black tie with light stripes.

Striped ties took the stage in a unanimous appearance at the second presidential debate of 1992, when candidates George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Ross Perot all wore ties with stripes. In general, according to the Lynn University, striped ties and ties with patterns have yielded to more solid ties since the turn of the century in 2000.

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