Democrats won voters under 30 by nearly 50 points on Tuesday, according to exit polling, a sharp swing from 2024 when the party lost ground with young people. Voters in that age group had shifted toward Donald Trump two years ago, drawn by his promises to improve their economic prospects.
Gen Z made up 11% of the total vote. Young voters have a long history of turning out at lower rates than older Americans, and that held true this year. Their impact was most visible in close House and Senate races where Democrats flipped seats. In Texas, Democrat James Talarico won the Senate race by 12 percentage points overall, but he won voters under 30 by 60 points.
Exit polls found that economic issues were the top concern for 43% of voters aged 18 to 29. More than eight in 10 said Trump’s policies had made economic conditions worse, and similar shares opposed his tariffs and the decision to go to war with Iran. Early analysis from CIRCLE found that 15% of young people who backed Trump in 2024 voted for a Democratic House candidate this year.
Pollster John Della Volpe, who runs the Harvard Youth Poll, cautioned against reading too much into the results. He said it was clear that voters rebuked the party in power, but that analysts still need to learn who turned out and who stayed home. Harvard’s October survey showed a sizable enthusiasm gap, with half of young Democrats saying they definitely planned to vote, compared with a third of Republicans.
Gen Z and millennial voters are expected to make up more than half of the electorate by 2028.
