[MUSIC PLAYING]
Anna Martin: From 'The New York Times,'
I'm Anna Martin.
This is 'Modern Love.'
And today, we have a little treat for you.
I'm here with my colleague Astead Herndon.
Hey, Astead.
Astead Herndon: Hey, Anna. Thank you for having me.
Anna Martin: So, Astead, you're a political reporter here at 'The Times.'
And you're the host of 'The Run–Up,'
which is our weekly politics show.
And you're here because you recently went to a speed dating event.
Not for yourself; for reporting purposes.
I want to be very clear about that.
And, Astead, you went to this event to find out
how are single people bringing politics into their search for love,
and do their political beliefs influence who they decide to date?
I cannot wait to talk to you today.
But I got to ask first,
as a political reporter,