Angela Hammontree, 55, considers herself very conservative, describing herself as "pro-gun, pro-Bible, pro-Trump." After her divorce, she dated a man for three months before discovering he was a Democrat. They broke up a month before the 2020 presidential election. "I couldn't stand it any longer," she said. Now, she checks voter registrations on Google before dates to avoid dining with a Democrat.
A 2020 YouGov/Economist poll found that 86% of Americans think it has become harder to date someone who supports the opposite political party. Experts say political affiliation has risen to be among the most important factors in love, particularly for singletons living in areas where they are in the political minority.
Former Trump White House staffer Daniel Huff once went on a date and was left alone before cocktails arrived when his date learned where he worked. This inspired him and fellow ex-staffer John McEntee to launch a dating app, The Right Stuff, which only allows conservatives to join. Users must be invited and can fill in prompts such as "My favourite liberal lie" and "January 6th was..."
Liberal women in conservative areas face similar challenges. Nora Murphy, 32, tried dating conservative men in Idaho but found it didn't work when politics came up. The dating divide reflects a deeply polarised US, with a Pew Research Center study showing Democrats and Republicans are farther apart ideologically than at any time in the past 50 years.
A 2017 study warned that as more singles pair up with politically similar partners, this could amplify polarisation through homogenous social networks and households. Political psychologist Rose McDermott of Cornell University said the narrative of a deeply divided modern America is not overblown and is getting worse.
