A first-in-the-nation program is pairing Democratic and Republican state lawmakers together to visit each other’s districts. Sponsored by the Citizens League, the program pairs lawmakers who seemingly have nothing in common in order to promote civility in politics.

Rochester bureau reporter Catharine Richert attended one of these swaps for MPR News Talking Sense project, a series which helps people have hard conversations better, by telling stories of people who are bridging divides. She shared more about the story as part of a weekly regional check in with MPR News reporters covering Greater Minnesota.