Despite a general lack of civility in Washington, the State of the Union Address “prom date” program is still alive and well.
Members of opposite parties will sit together during President Obama’s annual speech Tuesday night in a gesture toward bipartisanship.
Spurred by calls from the centrist Third Way think tank, the No Labels organization, and Colorado Democratic Sen. Mark Udall and Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, some lawmakers have already found their “dates.” Others have pledged their intention to find a “date,” and many will remain single.
“The movement is catching on, and lawmakers are committing to sit together with a member of the opposite party in even greater numbers than last year,” Udall wrote in a recent blog post calling for more civility and bipartisan seating.
According to Udall’s office, the Colorado Senator will be attending the address with Murkowski.
There are currently more than 35 congressional odd-couple pairings, not including the entire Colorado delegation, Upstate New York delegation, the Bipartisan Working Group, and a three-way between Kentucky Republican Rep. Brett Guthrie, Kentucky Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth, and and Indiana Republican Rep. Todd Young who all plan to attend together.
According to No Labels, 46 senators, 48 House Republicans, and 88 House Democrats are on board with the bipartisan gesture.
In a letter to Republican and Democratic leadership this month, Third Way requested bipartisan seating and called for an annual weekend retreat with Democrats and Republicans. The group also asked for a 24-hour cooling-off period before and after the president’s address, during which members of Congress of both parties would pledge to only speak about the merits of the speech and avoid direct attacks.