Dueling Democrats and Republicans in Congress could use some pointers from these clashing couples.
“I’m a Democrat who completely opposes Trump and his agenda, so I know it sounds crazy that I’m married to a Republican,” St. Louis, Missouri, mom-of-two Samantha Miller, 38, told The Post of the political paradox she’s embraced with her husband Andy, a 42-year-old fan of President Donald Trump.
“There are times when we won’t speak about it [politics],” Samantha told The Post. “We just know. I’m very, very strong-minded in my opinions. He’s very strong-minded in his.”
As the red-blue divide and governmental shutdown wreak havoc on federal workers’ paychecks, travelers’ vacation plans and more, some divergent duos are proving that opposites do attract — and can even prosper together.
While Samantha has “polar opposite” views to Andy, who supports the administration’s economic agenda and a crackdown on illegal immigration, she said they “have a beautiful family and a strong marriage built on love, not politics.”
If it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it nearly is. Inter-party relationships are rare — and becoming rarer.
In 2017, 4.5% of American marriages were comprised of couples from opposing political parties, per the Institute for Family Studies. By 2020, that number had dropped down to 3.6%.
Updated data for 2025 isn’t available, but if that trend has continued, fewer than 2% of marriages across the U.S. would be made up of a Republican and a Democrat.
Love wins — and, surprisingly, so do other lovebirds like them.
In Washington, D.C., the nation’s center of polarization, a love story has unfolded for lawyers Sydney Bradford, 41, and Drew Benbow, 42, against a backdrop of political gridlock and hyper-partisan name-calling.
“I think it makes our relationship stronger because … I don’t think you should run away from the tough issues,” Drew declared. “I think you should have the conversation.”
Both couples told The Post that their political disagreements actually help their relationships in a variety of ways. They have become better communicators, approach situations with curiosity and empathy, and search out other parts of each other that they value and admire.
Here’s how they have successfully embraced their anomaly, against all odds.
Sydney Bradford and Drew Benbow
Sydney and Drew first met 20 years ago as students at Hampton University in Virginia. At the time, both identified as staunch Democrats.
The pair lost touch, only to reconnect two years ago when Sydney learned that Drew had written a novel titled “The Devil’s Politics.” She sent him a message on Instagram; he replied, asking her on a date.
Over dinner, it felt like little had changed — except, perhaps, for Drew’s political views. Sydney noted that her old friend was suddenly sounding a little more conservative than he had in the past.
While most liberals might have cut and run, Sydney, who currently works as General Counsel at a healthcare company, realized she had romantic feelings for her former college classmate and agreed to continue seeing him.
“By the time it was very clear that he was a Republican, we had already connected on a deeper level,” she explained. “The fiber of who he was hadn’t changed — and has not changed [since].”
Of his gradual political transformation, Drew — who is an attorney and Army veteran — told The Post: “I allowed my environment to influence my politics. I grew up in Washington, D.C., which is very, very liberal. But when I really started to think about my personal views, I realized that they are more conservative and more aligned with the Republican Party.”
Given that they’re both lawyers, Sydney and Drew are relentlessly curious and enjoy engaging in debate and discussion.
On the surface, the pair disagrees on issues, but finds some surprising common ground once they discuss topics in detail.
“You can’t take a hatchet; you have to use a scalpel,” Drew explained to The Post, saying he believes most Americans have nuanced political beliefs. “People have views that might be slightly conservative, a little bit more liberal, and it’s how those ideas come together that form your political ideology.”
For instance, he said, “There are people who are Republican or conservative in this country who have needed and used Obamacare.” On the flip side, Drew believes Trump is “the most peaceful president that we’ve had in decades.”
“Trump has kept America out of these forever wars,” he declared. “That matters to me — and I’m sure it matters to a lot of other people in this country [regardless of whether they’re a Republican or a Democrat].”
Sydney told The Post that her probing political discussions have also helped her realize the nuances of people’s beliefs.
“It’s never as binary as people would think,” she stated. “I think that’s actually one thing that’s come through conversations that I’ve had with Drew: How we do agree on certain issues that might make me a more conservative Democrat and make him a slightly more liberal Republican?“
The couple says fearless honesty and curiosity about politics have also strengthened their relationship in other ways, sharpening their communication and allowing them to have difficult, candid conversations about other issues that arise in a relationship.
Therapist Lesley Koeppel agrees, telling The Post that political differences can actually lead to a deeper understanding and a stronger relationship.
“We all want compatibility, but political differences do not automatically mean relationship incompatibility,” she explained. “What often matters more is how a person holds their own beliefs and whether they can tolerate complexity, differences, listen respectfully, and approach these differences with curiosity.”
Samantha and Andy Miller
While conversation is crucial, it can also be constructive to bite your tongue.
In St. Louis, Missouri, Samantha and Andy Miller often decide not to broach hot-button issues if it’ll end in an argument.
Knowing when and how to approach each other is essential — and it helps that they have been “inseparable” since 2009, so they’re intimately familiar with each other’s moods and triggers.
Andy told The Post he votes with self-interest in mind, favoring policies he believes will keep his family safe and prosperous. He also likes strong borders and energy independence.
Conversely, Samantha says she’s “an empath” who “wants to do what’s best for everyone.”
“I 1000% don’t believe in what’s happening right now with the ICE and the deportations and how they are rolling out,” she declared, adding that she is in favor of universal health care and gun reform.
The Millers have always been on opposite sides of the political aisle, but cite 2016 as the year when politics started to become a part of daily conversation. The pair said they argued “passionately” during the 2024 election campaign.
“Leading up to the second election, you know, they were trying to crush his name into the ground,” Andy told The Post of Trump. “Crushing his family into the ground, going after him with lawsuits and, you know, legal stuff, to take him off the ballot.”
“But the same thing can be said on the other side,” Samantha countered, before quipping: “We’re going to start fighting during [this] interview.”
However, the couple says their political differences lead to a stronger marriage because they’re required to focus on other parts of each other that they love and admire. In other relationships, such things may be taken for granted.
For instance, Samantha sees her husband first and foremost as an incredible father to their children.
“It just makes up one part of you, but I don’t think it defines you,” Samantha said of a person’s political affiliation.
“We were together a while before all the craziness started with politics, and the relationship wasn’t built on that,” Andy added. “I don’t expect anybody to agree with my views 100%.”
Both couples say they feel it’s “taboo” to be in a mixed political relationship, but are speaking out to encourage others to reach across the aisle and leave behind assumptions about others.
Sydney and Drew recently closed a D.C. bar named Political Pattie’s, but are now hoping to revive it as a SuperPAC to promote political civility.
They say now, amid the shutdown and growing polarization, it’s never been more pressing to talk to each other — and maybe even find love.
“Democrats and Republicans need to be able to sit at the same table,” Sydney declared. “To see the humanity in another person, even if they have a very different view than yours, has never been more important.”
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