Find your political soulmate: Trump, Sanders dating sites
Love Trump? Hate Trump? Talking politics on a first date can be treacherous. It just got a whole lot easier thanks to two online dating sites.
Love Trump? Hate Trump? Talking politics on a first date can be treacherous.
It just got a whole lot easier thanks to two online dating sites.
"TrumpSingles.com for supporters of Republican nominee Donald Trump promises to "Making Dating Great Again."
Not to be outdone, there's "BernieSingles.com - Where Progressives Meet." The group for those who "share the philosophy championed by U.S. Senator and Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders," vows to "inspire chemistry" among those who share similar visions for the future.
"The 1% are not the only ones getting screwed this election season," the site boasts.
It appears supporters of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton aren't looking to internet websites bearing her name for love. The closest match is "Singles Moms for Hillary" on Facebook. It has one 'like.'
The mix of dating sites and politics should not come as a surprise and on one level is completely understandable, said G. Terry Madonna, director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College.
"Why wouldn't it make sense to find someone to share your political values," said Madonna. It is a nuance of how we have intertwined social, culture and politics altogether, he said.
The idea behind TrumpSingles came about after co-founder David Goss heard that a fellow Trump supporter was left stranded with the dinner check when she mentioned to her date, a Hillary Clinton supporter, she was going to vote for Trump.
"He stared at her blankly, stood up, and walked out," said Goss, 35, of Santa Clarita, CA. Goss is an associate producer for the reality TV show Face Off, a special effects makeup competition. His is also happily married to another Trump supporter.
TrumpSingles went up on May 16 and now has about 500 users, who pay $5 a month, Goss said. It works similar to other dating sites. Apps for both Google and Apple are expected to launch soon he said.
According to the website, "If you want to vote for president, register with the US government. If you want to find your soul mate, then register with us!."
Goss expects the site will have legs after the election - whether Trumps wins or not.
"We can move forward after because of his popularity," Goss said.
BernieSingles was started as a joke, according to the group's website.
Colten Caudle, 20, one of the website's founders, and a group of friends set out to mimic the popular Facebook group Bernie Sanders' Dank Meme Stash. It eventually morphed into a dating site.
"We launched near the end of February, and got a million hits the first night," Caudle, a student at Arizona State University, wrote in an email. Within a month, the site had about 15,000 registered members. "We had to upgrade servers multiple times to accommodate the traffic," Caudle said
The cost? Free, of course.
Caudle can personally attest to the effectiveness of the politically-themed site. He met his fiance, while working on the project.
Like all political groups, the two websites have occasionally sparred on social media.
The sites are also civic minded and encourage supporters to get out and vote - as well as date.
"This is the most inexplicable, incomprehensible, unpredictable, weirdest election in modern history," said Madonna.
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@MariSchaefer