With the election just days away opinions are strong and emotions are running high. So what does that mean for couples on opposite sides of the political fence? One New York couple tells us they voted for different candidates back in 2016 and for four years they kept politics completely out of their relationship to save their marriage. Adam Harding has their story.
From their photos, it's clear that Debra Gaynor and her husband Nisim Kaneti have a happy, loving relationship. After all, they're together practically all the time with plenty of shared hobbies.
But there is a big difference between the two: Gaynor is a Democrat and Kaneti is a Republican. They are in what has become known as an "inter-political marriage."
When asked if they have dueling lawn signs, Gaynor tells News 4 New York: "Oh, God no! But, when we drive by a neighborhood with all Trump signs, he goes, 'These are my people.' And I want to be sick."
The couple's political divide never really amounted to much until the 2016 election, when Gaynor's candidate, Hillary Clinton, lost to her husband's candidate, Donald Trump.
"I was distraught and the next morning I just thought how are we going to live for the next four four years, so I told Nisim we’d have to get divorced…because how can we live and talk politics for the next four years? And he said, 'Honey, we’re not going to get divorced, we’re just not going to talk politics," she said.
The couple even contributed to a New York Times op-ed, sharing their frustration.
"I think our marriage will survive, would've survived, even if we would’ve had one blow-up or two blow-ups," Kaneti said.
News
The two know how intense talking politics these days can be, but for them, it's best to just avoid the topic all together — something easier said than done.
"My friends in the last four years say to me, 'What does Nisim think about what Trump is doing?' And I have to say, 'I don’t know, because I can't talk to him about it,'" Gaynor said.
No matter who wins Tuesday's election, this couple knows one will be excited, the other disappointed. But they'll make it work, as they always have. When asked how two people so divided in their politics can make the relationship work, it comes down to their unshakable bond.
"Well, the love here, the respect for each other," Kaneti said.
Gaynor added: "Every night, before we go to sleep, he says, 'I can't live without you.' How can you not want to be with a man like this? If politics is the only thing that is bad about him, you know, I'll take it."
