There's President Bush at a campaign stop, shaking hands with a Republican. Their cherry-red ties pop from the smiling photo. There he is again, talking about Iraq. This time, robin's-egg blue.

As they wind their way through campaign season, candidates have an important choice to make: red tie or blue tie?

It's not as trivial as it sounds. Candidates are making nuanced decisions about what themes to emphasize, what appearances to make, what parts of their personality to highlight. Under a national media microscope, even something as minor as a necktie can -- and does -- make a statement.

Take a look at Bush's State of the Union fashion choices: In 2002, the first State of the Union after the Sept. 11, terrorist attacks, Bush chooses blue. He sticks with blue in 2003. Then it's election time -- he switches to red for the 2004 and the 2005 speeches. In 2006, he's back to blue.

For this year's midterm election, there's a sea of similarly dressed candidates. Rolled-up shirt sleeves are still acceptable, but gone is the time when a politician makes a statement in earth tones, as Al Gore tried in 2000.

TV ready

Bruce Newman, a DePaul University marketing professor who specializes in politics, thinks tie choices are about a total image that a politician is trying to convey.

"They probably have a range of clothes that their advisers tell them is a good thing to wear," Newman says. "Then based on that range, they choose a particular tie to match that emotion."

Color can also convey power, trustworthiness and more.

"Look at Donald Trump and his red ties," said Sharon Haver, editor of focusonstyle.com. "A guy who wants to be perceived as strong and in charge would wear more red."

And blue?

"Blue is a softer color ... Look at the sky, and it's peaceful and calm and trustworthy and more down to earth."

Television has a lot to do with it. Red looks great on TV, Haver says, as long as it's not too bright and won't "bleed" on the screen. Choose the politically unpopular earth tones -- say, a green shirt -- and you risk your skin looking green, too.

"Most voters see politicians on television, and if they're wearing a very bold tie ... then it serves to make them stand out among the crowd," Newman says.

The same tricks work for both sexes. As a woman, Newman says, "you get to wear red or blue on a blouse or a skirt or a dress and stand out in an even more significant way."

Symbols gain meaning

The power of symbolism is never lost on a politician. In a country that increasingly defines itself by red states and blue states, candidates can try to send a message with a color choice. They can signal allegiance to their party or reach across the aisle.

Even though the terms "red state" and "blue state" seem to roll off the tongue, they're a recent phenomenon, says Adam Schiffer, an assistant professor of political science at Texas Christian University.

"Prior to 2000, there was no uniform color scheme," Schiffer said. "The networks almost always, but not always, used red and blue, but what's interesting is there was no agreement on which color stood for which party.

"In fact, most of the time red was associated with Democrats and blue was associated with Republicans. Some of the networks alternated it so it didn't look like they were favoring one party or another if somebody perceived one color as being more desirable."

But then came election night 2000 -- the showdown between Bush and Gore.

"Suddenly a lot of Americans were staring at that electoral map much more than they had previously," says Seth Masket, a political science professor at the University of Denver. "People started paying attention to the colors."

Who's red? Who's blue?

"Initially, I think some Republicans were sort of loath to be associated with the color red, which used to be associated with communism," Masket says. "Somehow in 2000, it became sort of a rallying cry. The idea of red America, red-blooded America. It more or less began with the Republicans kind of claiming the color as their own."

That's when the dividing of America between red and blue really started, Schiffer says.

Now the colors are much more than spots on electoral maps or hues of a politician's tie.

Try this pop quiz: Who likes sushi, red staters or blue staters? And who's more likely to own a shotgun? The connotations you fill in -- rightly or wrongly -- help define who we are.

So with the political rainbow newly defined, are candidates jumping on those definitions?

"It depends on how high up you go on the ladder," Newman says. "If you go up to a presidential level, yeah, I do think the advisers are telling them what to wear. If you come down to a local level, maybe it's someone's wife or daughter or friend who suggests. It's a function of style and the style that fits with the persona of the leader."

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