[wuch]

Maybe it continues the historical tradition of Federalists vs Anti-Federalists:

"The primary opposition to the Constitution was based on it being a centralizing document that risked making the states a mere administrative arm of the central government. States' rights advocates like Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, Patrick Henry, and Elbridge Gerry were wary of the new document. The Federalists were aware of these objections and their opponents. Thus, in trying to head them off at the pass, they adopted the name Federalists to give people the impression, true or not, that they were for a federal form of government and not a national one. This forced those who opposed the constitution to be known as Anti-Federalists, which to the less attentive audience gave the impression that they were against federalism and thus for a centralized regime."