Ben Carson easily won last night’s debate. At least when it comes to style

Ben Carson was the hands-down winner at Tuesday’s Republican debate in Las Vegas.

Oh, don’t be silly. Not on policy or substance, but on style. Of the eight men and one woman standing on the main stage, only Carson and Ohio Gov. John Kasich had the courage to not wear red. In both cases, breaking from the predictable sartorial pack was a refreshing sign of independence — but only Carson really pulled it off.

Politics and perception explain the gravitational pull of the color red.

It isn’t the only power color, but red is a quintessential choice in the world of politics. It commands the eye’s attention and holds it. The wearer demands to be seen on their terms. As graphic designer Cameron Chapman explained for

Smashing magazine, “Red is a very hot color. It’s associated with fire, violence, and warfare. It’s also associated with love and passion,” and “Red can actually have a physical effect on people, raising blood pressure and respiration rates.” It makes sense that we’d see more red on the debate stage now that this has fully become a national security election.

Per the BBC’s David Robson, red can even change our psychology. If you absolutely must stand out in a crowded room or on a debate stage, a red ensemble will do it. See Carly Fiorina — and her seven red-tied competitors.

Red is also closely associated with the Republican Party. According to Smithsonian magazine, red has been associated with the GOP since the 2000 presidential election, when the both the New York Times and USA Today ran full-color electoral maps with red for Republicans and blue for Democrats. Four years later, then-Illinois state senator Barack Obama rocketed to national political fame (and eventually the White House) by declaring, “the pundits like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue states: red states for Republicans, blue states for Democrats.”

Ever since, folks can’t help but take the whole visual association thing too far. And rather than standing out and being seen on their own terms, they now blend into the preening crowd. Also, there are other, more effective ways to show off your conservative bona fides than slapping on a red uniform. A plausible alternative to Obamacare or the welfare state, for instance.

By donning a baby-blue pattern tie, Kasich did a better job standing out in that field of navy blue and red. It’s a bold choice since it is more suited to the warmer months. But the independence of mind the selection implies might have earned him extra attention for his incessant appeal to the base of his party to re-embrace pragmatic conservative governing.

Now, the only thing that resonated with Carson for me was what he wore. The pinstripe suit and patterned tie was as arresting as the Gang of Red that surrounded the poll-sliding Oval Office aspirant. Perhaps more so since it was so unusual in that setting. Not to mention that pattern-on-pattern is a risky gambit under normal circumstances. You have to be comfortable in your own skin to make that look work and the famed neurosurgeon pulled it off. And yet what Carson wore — a sea of navy blue and white grounded by a crisp white shirt — was as conservative as it was elegant.
Full disclosure: Carson’s ensemble is one of my go-to outfits, especially when anchoring on television. So I was predisposed to scream “WERQ!,” as the kids say, when he ascended the stage. The entire ensemble made sense. Pity I can’t say the same about anything Carson advocates.