1 in 6 congressional candidates in the midterm elections is a millennial
November 3, 2022
Young Americans are getting involved and running for Congress.
By Stephanie Raymond
Young Americans are getting involved and running for Congress.
A new report found millennials represent one out of six congressional candidates in the midterm elections, and Generation Z is on the ballot for the first time.
The last two years saw a 42% increase in candidates aged 45 and under running for Congress, and a 57% increase in the number of millennial candidates.
ADVERTISING
In total, 334 congressional candidates running this November are 45 years old or younger, and 193 are considered “true” millennials, or those born between 1981 and 1996.
Ninety-one candidates are 35 or younger, and two candidates are the first from Generation Z.
The findings come from the Millennial Action Project, which was published Tuesday.
“This surge in young candidates running for office is an encouraging sign for Americans hoping for a fresh, more collaborative approach to governing. When young people get elected to public office, they govern differently,” the organization said in a statement.
According to the analysis, 54 millennial candidates for Congress are incumbents: 53 are running for re-election in the House, and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) is up for re-election in the Senate.
Of the total candidates tracked, 103 are women, 230 are men, and there is one non-binary candidate. In 2020, 41% of the candidates age 45 and under were women. In 2022, that number has dipped to just under 31%.
Slightly more millennials are running as Democrats than as Republicans, according to the report. Of the 334 candidates running for Congress under the age of 45, 131 are Democrats, 123 are Republicans, 46 are Libertarians, 20 are Independents or have no party preference, and 14 belong to another party.
“Despite common misconceptions about the partisanship of rising generations, members of Congress 45 years old or younger have been scored as more bipartisan than their older peers for the last three Congresses in a row,” the report noted.
States with the greatest number of young candidates include Florida with 28, California with 26, Texas with 24, New York with 21, and Colorado with 15. Only two states, Montana and Rhode Island, have no candidates for the U.S. House or Senate under 45.
Join 1,800+ BIPARTISAN LEADERS NATIONWIDE
Be a part of a network of lawmakers committed to governing effectively, passing more representative public policy, and increasing public trust in democracy.