Young voters fueled Democratic wave, activists say
The gist
About 7 in 10 voters under 30 backed Democratic House candidates in the 2026 midterms.
The shift helped Democrats win Congress, with cost of living a top concern.
How it unfolded
- Nov 3, 2026Midterm elections held; Democrats won control of Congress, flipped seven Senate seats and could take 258 House seats to Republicans' 177.
- Nov 4, 2026An AP Voter Poll of more than 100,000 voters in all 50 states found young voters swung sharply left, far exceeding their support for Kamala Harris in 2024.
- Nov 5, 2026CIRCLE at Tufts estimated 27% of young people voted, matching 2022 and second-highest in 30 years; 66% of 18-29s nationally voted for a Democratic House candidate vs. 31% Republican.
Key terms
- midterms
- US general elections held near the midpoint of a president's four-year term, when all House seats and about a third of Senate seats are contested.
- AP VoteCast
- A survey of American voters and nonvoters conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for the Associated Press and other news outlets.
- negative partisanship
- The tendency of voters to form political opinions mainly in opposition to parties they dislike rather than in support of their own party.
Source: Wikipedia