The 2026 midterm elections are less than a month away, and politics is back on the ballot and in our love lives.

More than a decade ago, when Donald Trump first announced his candidacy for president, I began documenting the tension I was witnessing firsthand in dating and relationships. I interviewed more than 100 singles and couples about political compatibility, dating dealbreakers, and what happens when two people who care about each other find themselves on opposite sides politically.

Today, I’m asking the question again.

The latest research shows just how deeply politics continues to shape dating, attraction, and compatibility.

Trump Is Still Polarizing Singles

The latest research suggests that Donald Trump isn’t simply another political topic when it comes to dating.

A 2025 YouGov survey found that 43% of Americans said that, if they were single and dating, they would be “not at all willing” to date someone with opposing views on Trump.

The partisan difference was significant. 68% of Democrats, compared with 24% of Republicans said they would be unwilling to date someone whose views on Trump differed from their own.

The divide is even more pronounced among single women.

Research from the Survey Center on American Life found that 52% of single women said they would be less likely to date a Trump supporter, compared with 36% of single men.

Among college-educated single women, that number jumps to 73%.

Those numbers raise a question that I believe singles need to ask themselves:

Is Trump himself the dealbreaker, or are the values you associate with supporting Trump the deciding factor when choosing a romantic partner?

For many singles, politics is no longer just about what happens in Washington. Political views can be connected to deeply held beliefs about family, gender roles, reproductive rights, immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, the economy, and the kind of future someone envisions.

That’s why I tell singles to look beyond the party label and listen for the values underneath it.

Politics Shows Up Before the First Date

Remember when politics, religion, and exes were considered topics to avoid on a first date?

Those rules have changed. Politics has moved to the top of the dating dealbreaker list, replacing smoking for some singles. After all, a smoker can quit. Political values aren’t always so easy to change.

The State of Us: National Study on Modern Love & Dating in 2025, conducted by the Kinsey Institute and DatingNews, found that 42% of U.S. singles try to determine a potential partner’s political affiliation before going on a date, either by asking directly or looking for clues.

At the same time, 40% of singles have dated across political lines, and most of those who have done so said they would do it again. Another 30% said they have never dated, and would never date, someone with opposing political views.

So, politics does matter, but having a different political affiliation doesn’t automatically mean a relationship is doomed.

The more important question may be whether you’re dealing with a difference in politics or a difference in core values.

What Love in the Age of Trump Readers Are Saying

The political divide is showing up among my readers, too.

In the current Love in the Age of Trump reader poll, I asked:

Would you date across party lines?

61.16% said no.

Another 34.16% said yes, while 4.68% said they aren’t interested in politics.

While not a national scientific survey, the results offer a snapshot of what readers who are actively thinking about love and politics are saying right now.

And for more than six in ten respondents, crossing party lines is still a dating dealbreaker.

Know Your Political Dealbreakers

1. Know your true dealbreakers. Ask yourself which differences you can live with and which ones conflict with your core values. There’s a difference between disagreeing about a particular policy and discovering that you fundamentally disagree about how you want to live your lives.
2. Ask before the first date. If politics is a dealbreaker for you, don’t wait until you’re emotionally invested to find out where someone stands. You don’t need to conduct an interrogation. A simple question such as, “What issues are most important to you?” can tell you much more than asking which party someone belongs to.
3. Share your views in your dating profile. If your political affiliation or values are important to you, it’s perfectly reasonable to include them. But don’t turn your profile into a political rant. Your profile should tell someone who you are and what you’re looking for, not just who you refuse to date.
4. Listen for values, not slogans. Two people can use different political labels and still share important values about family, kindness, commitment, faith, equality, or community. Two people can also belong to the same political party and have very different ideas about relationships and the future.
5. Don’t settle to keep the peace. Chemistry is powerful, but it doesn’t erase fundamental incompatibility. If someone’s beliefs leave you feeling dismissed, disrespected, or unable to envision a future together, pay attention.
6. Vote, then say so. Civic participation can be a conversation starter. You don’t have to tell a date how you voted, but saying that voting matters to you reveals something about your priorities.

When Couples Don’t Vote the Same Way

Political differences aren’t limited to singles navigating dating apps.

For couples, election season can magnify disagreements that are usually easier to put aside. I’ve interviewed couples who successfully crossed party lines and others whose political differences ultimately became too difficult to ignore.

What often matters isn’t whether two people agree on every issue. It’s how they disagree.

Ask yourself these questions about your relationship:

• Can you listen without mocking each other?
• Can you discuss an issue without contempt?
• Can you respect your partner’s right to hold a different opinion?
• And perhaps most importantly, do you still share enough fundamental values to build the life you both want?

If every conversation turns into a political debate, establish some boundaries. Decide when politics is off-limits.

Hint: Don’t bring dining-room politics into the bedroom.

Don’t argue with each other on social media, and don’t let Election Night turn into a relationship battle.

Respect matters more than winning the argument.

A Decade of Love in the Age of Trump

When I first began writing about love in the age of Trump in 2015, I wondered whether the political polarization surrounding the 2016 election would fade from our dating lives after the ballots were counted.

Publishers and agents told me Trump wouldn’t be in politics for long.

A decade later, politics remains part of how many singles evaluate compatibility, and views about Donald Trump continue to be a significant dividing line for some daters.

But a dating profile isn’t a ballot, and a relationship isn’t a debate stage.

Before you swipe left or decide against a match solely because of a political label, ask yourself what that label represents to you.

Is the disagreement about a candidate?

Is it about a particular policy?

Or does it reveal a fundamental difference in the values you need to share with a life partner?

Know your dealbreakers. Stand by your values. And leave enough room for a conversation.

Because after the ballots are counted, how two people treat each other still matters.

Julie Spira is the Digital Matchmaker® and a political dating expert who has been writing about the intersection of love, dating, technology, and politics for more than a decade. She is the founder of Cyber-Dating Expert® and creator of Love in the Age of Trump.