Alex Fondrier doesn't think politics should be the proverbial "third rail" in a relationship. In fact, Fondrier points to a study from the Journal of American Politics which found that, next to religion, political compatibility is the second most important criteria in a lasting relationship.
That's why last year, Fondrier and Francois Briard decided to become political-based matchmakers. Together, they created RedStateDate.com and BlueStateDate.com, corresponding sites for conservatives and liberals looking for love.
"In terms of having a long-term relationship, raising children, and settling down, studies have shown that the majority of American people want to be in that long-term relationship with someone who shares their political views," Fondrier said in an interview this week.
The sites, run entirely by Fondrier and Briard, launched last October and recently surpassed the 6,000-member mark. The site is free to join but requires a subscription of $17.95 per month to communicate with other users and potential matches.
Fondrier thinks the site fills a niche that has yet to be tackled in the online dating world. Websites match potential mates based on personality, religion, and other traits, but no high-profile website existed solely to match up couples based on their political views.
"I think people want to enjoy talking about politics with their significant others," Fondrier, 27, said. "People don't want to have to avoid politics, so there's definitely a niche for this."
Both sites go through rigorous matchmaking tests to match up potential couples. RedStateDate, for example, asks who Republicans should nominate in 2016, as well as past political campaigns worked on and extensive questions about economic, foreign policy, and social views.
Here's an example:
Why haven't any sites like these two popped up before? Fondrier speculated that it's because most singles working in politics are focused on their jobs — advocacy, causes, and other issues on which they're working.
So far, he's seen a handful of success stories measured in people leaving the site because they've "found someone" — more so on RedStateDate, which so far has roughly four times the amount of members as BlueStateDate.
"What we've done is create two unique environments for people who are passionate about these issues," Fondrier said.
"At the end of the day, those issues will come up at some point in a relationship. So I wanted to create a product for all those people who are on the Drudge Report all the time and reading Politico every hour — folks who are really into the issues, who really enjoy talking about politics and don't have to go on dates where you have to avoid constantly talking about politics.
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