LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — In today's political landscape there remains one elusive piece of real estate in the United States— the common ground. Something anyone from the political spectrum can agree on.
And to find that common ground, we turned to Generation Z to see if we could find any.
We reached out to two politically active students at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. One would represent a conservative viewpoint and the other, a liberal outlook. We talked to them individually and then together to figure out what they could agree on.
Sophomore Owen Haynes is the president of the Young Democrats at UA-Little Rock. He admitted to getting political news from Twitter, but only if it's a reliable source.
As for the politician he admired most: Joyce Elliott, a well-known Democrat in Arkansas.
"She does not give up on anything," Haynes said. "She is such a strong fighter for everything she believes in."
Haynes has his feet firmly planted in Democratic soil, especially when it comes to abortion. "If it's a moral decision, that should be left up to the person, not the government."
On the conservative side, we have Logan Mosley. He is the chairman of the College Republicans at UA-Little Rock. He gets his political news from Fox News and his role model is also an Arkansan.
"My first campaign that I volunteered for was Sarah Huckabee Sanders," Mosley said. "Having the chance to watch her the way she dealt with the news media and all the other factors too— it really inspired me."
And it would not surprise you that the biggest issue that separates him from the left is his stance against abortion.
When the two were brought together with their boundaries clearly established, they struggled to unite on anything specific.
That is until they began talking about the devastation in Florida after Hurricane Ian, which left almost 100 dead and many more without homes in the state.
"Both Governor Ron DeSantis and President Biden actually agreed on some things," Mosley said.
And Haynes agreed, noting the "political games go away" when the country is faced with natural disasters.
"It's necessary to see both sides working together because it would just be a massive waste of time if they didn't," Haynes said. "I think it's a great thing."
But can the country ever come together in the future politically? That's the ultimate question and one Haynes answered with the climate.
"Our world and nation as a whole is headed for a future where unity might be the only option," he said.
And in response to that question, Mosley brought up a concept learned in the classroom: the "four horsemen of polarization."
Stereotyping, ridiculing, dismissing, and contempt.
"We see all four of those in society right now and if we knock down by one each one on the list," he said, "we can become a unified country."
And then when we asked what advice one would give to lower the political temperature in the country.
"The only way we can come together as one is to start small and then get bigger," Mosley said.
Haynes gave us a similar answer, saying it's easy to find the differences in the bigger issues.
"But if you look at the little stuff, it's hard to disagree about where you're gonna plant a tree," he finished.
Don't look now, but we may have found the start toward common ground.