How a wave of Gen Z voters will impact upcoming elections

Officially, Generation Z was born between the mid 1990s and the early 2010s, meaning their ages range from about 11 to 27. Their age is only a small part of what defines their generation, instead it is the events they’ve lived through that have shaped their worldview. “they've grown up in a much more fragmented, less cohesive society in America,” says Morley Winograd, a senior fellow at the USC Annenberg School of Communication, Leadership and Policy and author of three books on millennials.

Since they’ve come to understand the world, Gen Z has felt the effects of climate change, COVID-19, several wars abroad, including in Ukraine and Israel, as well as Donald Trump’s tumultuous presidency and the rolling back of reproductive rights. According to Winograd, these events have prioritized democracy and freedom for the generation. Gen Zers are also demographically different from other generations, with just under 50% of the population being non-white. They are also less religious than others and are digital natives, growing up with technology.

When it comes to politics, Gen Zers are an activist generation. They turn out to vote at higher rates than millennials did when they were the same age. They are also more inclined to take direct action and advocate for their beliefs. Some of the key issues that are top of mind for the generation include gun violence, climate change, mental health, student debt and the cost of health care and housing.

In terms of party preference, Gen Z highly favors Democrats. In the last midterm elections, Gen Z’s that could vote supported Democrats over the GOP by 27 points. In more recent polling, under 30s are also planning on supporting Biden over Trump. This pattern looks like it will continue as more Gen Zers turn 18 and become eligible to vote. Since 2020, around 16 million members of Gen Z have turned 18. In this same time frame, 10 million older Americans (over 65) have died. This could shift the voting demographic slightly to the left, possibly presenting challenges to the Republican party. However, Winograd says the generation tends to vote on issues and candidates rather than for parties. “Young people really are not into partisan loyalty voting, they care about issues, they care about their values,” he told Clarified. “They're looking for candidates whose positions clearly are in line with their values of inclusion and tolerance and collaboration and compassion.”

Within the halls of the Capitol, things are still looking pretty much the same. The current average age of a member of Congress is 58, and in the Senate, it’s 65. That’s far older than the average age of an American, which sits at 38.

Some young people are trying to change that and make a run for office, and one has already been successful. Rep. Maxwell Frost, a Democrat from Florida, became the first Gen Z member of Congress when he was elected in 2022. There are countless other young people all vying for a spot in politics across the country at the local and state level.

Mason Morgan is a co-founder of an organization, Run Gen Z, which empowers such individuals. “It's no longer enough for Gen Z and young millennials to exercise their voice,” said Morgan. “They have to demand their seat at the table, because they bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to existing and continuing issues that the older generation seems incapable or unwilling to address.” While Run Gen Z empowers young conservatives, other organizations like Leaders We Deserve do the same for more left-leaning candidates.

“We're seeing in a lot of Gen Z candidates at the local level, they’re very community focused, very inclusive but also very confrontational to the power structures that are standing in the way,” said Winograd.

Interesting that two threads below this one, it is reported that a bunch of high school kids walked out of Loudon Co. schools because of their crazy tranny bathroom policy.

So the jury is out on the Zers and even the millennials, AFAIAC.

Among the Zers, I believe their leaders will be either homeschooled or privately educated in conservative schools.

I think of Charlie Kirk and all the young people he is engaging with his organization.

The people, including the young, are catching on FAST to the burgeoning national debt and what it implies for their future quality of life.

"If a 20 year old man is not a liberal he has no heart.

If a 30 year old man is not a conservative he has no brain"

I don't think it's age as much as having children that makes people more conservative. And in America, we've got all of the childless 30-40 year old white people who are still libtards.

It doesn't bode well.

Furthermore, Gen-Z discovered in 2022 that voting was easy and they liked doing it. This caught the pollsters off guard who didn't see them coming out to vote the impending red wave down to a red trickle.

Gen-Z has bought into every platform of the left, from climate change to abortion, to gun control, to limits of free speech. They're going to vote the rest of us right back into the dark ages.

That quote has always disturbed me. Why would being a liberal at 20 be any more commendable than at, say, 60? It wouldn’t.

Liberals/leftists are among the most heartless because they refuse to see the deleterious effects of their ideology on real people.

“...looking for candidates whose positions clearly are in line with their values of inclusion and tolerance...”

Because of course, homosexual empowerment is the overriding concern of everyone. Sodomy is more important than say, the US economy. /spit

“They have to demand their seat at the table, because they bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to existing and continuing issues that the older generation seems incapable or unwilling to address.”

Little snot nosed, arrogant jerks are going to show all of us older folks “how things are done” b/c we are “incapable or unwilling” to address how they want things.

How long have they been paying taxes, had to compete for jobs , been in the workforce, how many have lived on their own, paid rent or a mortgage, put food on the table for a family - and struggled to survive?

Things may not turn out how Gen Z hopes they will - these grandiose ideas backfire when met with reality. The world they will inherit, change and re-create is the one they’ll have to live in, it won’t be what the envisioned - and good luck with that.

The price of housing is insane anywhere in California.

I live in an old development thrown up quickly after the end of WW II - across the street, the development goes back to the 20s (sidewalks are stamped 1923).

The vast majority need tons of work - new electrical, plumbing and sewer pipes, flooring, dry wall, HVAC, etc.

You won’t find a home here under $1.5 million - and that doesn’t include the cost of mass renovations, most likely in the $200,000+ range. One home two doors down from me (a wreck inside according to my neighbors who went to the open house) listed for $1.3 million two weeks ago, sold in one day for $1.4 million - it is already being partially torn down.

It’s like this all over.

My son and his friends who make six figure incomes in the IT industry cannot afford to live here.

The same article was written in 1968, when leftists assured everyone that the boomer “hippies” would take over the world.

Blah, blah, blah.

By 1984, the majority of the boomer “hippies” voted for Ronald Reagan.

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