James Talarico speaks on election night in Austin, Texas. Talarico won his U.S. Senate race by 12 percentage points overall, but when looking at just Gen Z, he won by 60 points.
Puce Somodevilla/Getty Images
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Puce Somodevilla/Getty Images
Democrats have performed well in recent elections, winning over young voters by a margin of at least 20 points. On Tuesday, they were ahead of Generation Z – those under 30 – by almost 50 points, according to an exit poll.
This is a stunning change from 2024, when the party lost ground among young people. Long considered part of the Democratic base, voters under 30 have shifted rightward toward Donald Trump, motivated by his promise to improve their economic prospects.
But this week, the youngest generation of voters sharply rebuked Republicans, giving Democrats and their message of change another chance at a time when many feel the American dream is out of reach.
How Young Voters Powered Democrats to Victory
Americans aged 18 to 29 are accustomed to voting at lower rates than older voters, and this year was no exception. Generation Z accounted for 11% of the total vote Tuesday.
However, where young Americans may have made the biggest difference is on the margins of the House and Senate elections, where Democrats flipped their seats.
The Texas Senate race is a key example. Democrat James Talarico won the state by 12 percentage points, but when looking only at Gen Z, he won it by 60 points.
Explaining the massive change from 2024
When assessing gains more generally, Democrats say the party’s strong slate of candidates has helped generate increased enthusiasm.
But another motivating factor remains the strong opposition to Trump. Throughout his second term, Gen Z grew increasingly embittered against the president, with some saying he failed to keep a number of key campaign promises — from pledging to lower prices and repeatedly pledging “no new wars,” to calling for a crackdown on federal corruption and releasing the Epstein files.
Much of this disappointment was reflected in exit polls. Economic issues were the top concern for a majority of 18-29 year olds, at 43%, and these voters expressed great frustration with how Trump handled the issue. More than eight in 10 respondents said Trump’s policies have made economic conditions worse, and similar voices oppose his tariff strategy and the decision to go to war with Iran.
The young voters Trump lost
Early analysis from CIRCLE indicates that 15% of young people who supported Trump in 2024 voted for a Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives in this year’s midterms.
Democrats have made gains with some young voters who supported Trump two years ago, including white men and Latino men, two blocs who narrowly voted Republican in 2024 and then voted blue on Tuesday by double digits. Democratic candidates also narrowed margins with young rural voters and people without college degrees..
Some of these gains may have been driven by young Trump voters who opted out of this election, but it’s unclear exactly how many there were.
How election results are distributed by age
The midterm results underscore that neither major party has Gen Z, according to John Della Volpe, a left-leaning pollster who has extensively studied the politics of young Americans.
“The cohort of younger people in this cycle have had a different set of experiences than the cohort from two years ago, or four years before that,” he said. “Each candidate, each party must earn their votes.”
Della Volpe, who runs the Harvard Youth Poll, notes that in the latest survey, released in October, there was a sizable enthusiasm gap between young Democrats and young Republicans. While half of Democrats said they definitely planned to vote, only a third of Republicans and less than a quarter of independents said the same.
“I also think we shouldn’t read too much into what happened,” he added. “This is clearly an important historical reproach against the party in power – that’s obvious – however, I think we need to better understand, sort of, the contours of the electorate, who showed up and who didn’t show up.”
By 2028, Generation Z and millennial voters will make up more than half of the electorate, a demographic shift with huge implications for Democrats and the Republican Party.
“Young adults can make a difference,” said Elizabeth Matto, director of the Center for Youth Political Participation at Rutgers University.
“They care about politics. They can influence the outcome of elections. And they are a voting bloc that needs to be paid attention to.”
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