Capitol Pulse Trends: Bipartisanship 🤝
Greetings from CNCT! This August, instead of our typical Capitol Pulse polls and newsletters, we are looking at trends in topics we’ve been asking about this year.
Since January, roughly 2% of Congressional Staffers have voted daily to give their anonymous opinions on topical issues, giving us great insights into the minds behind the Members. Interestingly, our Capitol Pulse results have highlighted several surprising areas where Republicans and Democrats find common ground.
💭 This week’s big idea: Exploring new avenues for bipartisan agreement.
At CNCT, we're always on the lookout for ways to foster bipartisanship, and it's encouraging to see Capitol Pulse frequently uncovering new areas where Staffers across the political spectrum align. Earlier this month, we covered how Staffers tend to agree on holding big business accountable, but what other areas of potential bipartisanship are emerging?
1️⃣ Trend #1: Staffers regardless of party tend to agree on policy and political predictions.
As some of the most politically engaged individuals in the country, Staffers are often underestimated in their ability to predict political outcomes. What surprised us, however, was the extent to which these predictions cut across party lines.
🗳️ After the first presidential debate, we asked Staffers if they think Biden should step down as the Democratic nominee…
69% of Staffers who voted said “step down”
71% of Democratic Staffers agreed
And 70% of Republican Staffers concurred
Although the issue centers around a specific party, the majority of Staffers agreed despite party.
🗳️ In another instance where Staffers’ predictions were correct, we asked Staffers who they thought would be the Democratic Nominee:
93% of Staffers who voted said “Kamala Harris”
98% of Democratic Staffers said “Harris”
And 90% of Republican Staffers also said “Harris”
🤔 Our take: Being the politically savvy crowd they are, there’s room for Staffers to bond over how they think different issues will turn out.
A Message From the GovExec Space Project
Join the GovExec Space Project on August 28 at The Wharf in D.C. as members of the space industry convene to explore the state of the space industry.
2️⃣ Trend #2: Bipartisanship prevails in less politically charged topics.
Not every conversation has to be highly political to build bipartisan connections. Over the past year, CNCT noticed that Staffers across the aisle often agreed on topics that aren't inherently political.
🗳️ Recently, we asked Staffers what age range they would allow their kids to use a smartphone.
Overall, 60% of Staffers who voted said between 13 and 15
63% of Democratic Staffers also said between 13 and 15
Republican Staffers agreed, with 61% saying between 13 and 15
In this poll, age—not party—was the primary factor that influenced the responses.
🗳️ Earlier this year, we asked Staffers about their opinions on AI…
40% of Staffers who voted had generally positive opinions
42% of Democratic Staffers said their opinions were negative
41% of Republican Staffers shared the same negative opinions
We also noticed bipartisan agreement when we asked about Staffers’ thoughts on additional restaurant service fees, their favorite morning newsletter (Politico Playbook), and their (dis)approval of Mayor Muriel Bowser.
➡️ The takeaway: You’ll never know if you agree on a topic until you bring it up. Don’t be shy and don’t take it personally!
Obviously, a lot of these topics could become political issues. So, is there a way to make the bipartisan agreement on these topics into bipartisan legislation? There’s potential! Keep reading to see why that is ⬇️
3️⃣ Trend #3: Bipartisan agreement on politically topical issues is popping up … unexpectedly!
Some of the Capitol Pulse poll results this year truly surprised us. In a previous Capitol Pulse Trends article, we discussed the bipartisan agreement in holding big business accountable, but what other agreement was there?
🗳️ Earlier this year, we asked Staffers whether they agreed with the Alabama Supreme Court’s embryo ruling or not.
61% of all Staffers said they do not believe a frozen embryo is a child
59% of Republican Staffers agreed
56% of Democratic Staffers concurred
It was surprising to see this level of agreement, particularly with Republican Staffers voting slightly higher than Democrats on this issue.
🗳️ We asked Staffers if they think Congress should make healthcare more affordable…
80% of Staffers who voted said yes
100% of Democratic Staffers said yes
54% of Republican Staffers also said yes
While there isn't complete agreement in this poll, there's definitely room for potential bipartisan consensus to develop.
❗ The overall takeaway: While there are certainly many areas of disagreement between Republicans and Democrats, this Capitol Pulse trend report highlights several areas where agreement exists. Bipartisanship is only possible when conversations happen, so start talking—whether it's about Hill predictions, interests outside of politics, or issues that could become bipartisan.
🗳️ One for the road: We asked Staffers what their office’s “vibe” was on bipartisanship:
80% of Democratic Staffers said it’s positive
85% of Republican Staffers also said positive!
💜 Chances are that your attempt at bipartisanship will be welcome. So try it!