Home of the Armadillo

The Donkey— Presidential candidate Andrew Jackson was the first Democrat ever to be associated with the donkey symbol. His opponents during the election of 1828 tried to label him a "jackass" for his populist beliefs and slogan, "Let the people rule." Jackson was entertained by the notion and ended up using it to his advantage on his campaign posters.
But cartoonist Thomas Nast is credited with making the donkey the recognized symbol of the Democratic Party. It first appeared in a cartoon in Harper's Weekly in 1870, and was supposed to represent an anti-Civil War faction. But the public was immediately taken by it and by 1880 it had already become the unofficial symbol of the party.

The Elephant— Political cartoonist Thomas Nast was also responsible for the Republican Party elephant. In a cartoon that appeared in Harper's Weekly in 1874, Nast drew a donkey clothed in lion's skin, scaring away all the animals at the zoo. One of those animals, the elephant, was labeled "The Republican Vote." That's all it took for the elephant to become associated with the Republican Party.

The above info came from http://www.infoplease.com/askeds/donkey-elephant.html

The Armadillo-Pastor Brent Thomas was responsible for the Redneck Party Armadillo.
Living in the great state of Texas created a soft spot in his heart for the beloved state animal of Texas. So he combined the elephant of the Republican party with the donkey of the Democratic party and came up with the symbol for the Redneck Party.

In the short two year period of living "Deep in the Heart of Texas", he became a huge fan of Gary P. Nunn's "London Homesick Blues" (from which his deep love for the armadillo grew) and then began listening to various other Texas music artists over his once beloved jazz.