I'm sure politics come into play in some instances, but if that's all a person can bond over, then they need to find some hobbies. Politics is such a tricky subject and unless you can discuss it without things getting too heated, it is not worth discussing.
I was tricked by you-know-who that it was "us vs them" and "you have to pick a side" but now that I have the true freedom to have my own beliefs, I have learned (or perhaps re-learned) to be nuanced about most political things, since I don't really sway towards one side more than the other. I do like to look at views that person doesn't like, though, just cause I can It's very satisfactory to realize I could've had my own opinion on things this whole time!
Thinking back to my current friends, most share my religious views to some degree, and some might share the same political views (to what degree I'm not sure since I don't really care to talk politics much). Some are quite different in terms of religion and/or politics though, and that's perfectly fine too! You don't truly learn about the world unless you interact with those that are different than you.