With the midterm elections a little more than a year away, a growing number of Democratic candidates in their 20s and 30s are stepping up to run for Congress. But on the other side of the aisle, young conservatives appear to be staying on the sidelines, at least for now.
More than 20 Democrats under the age of 40 have announced bids for Congress, with roughly half challenging sitting members of their own party, according to a count by NPR. On the Republican side, organizers can currently point to only one candidate vying for a spot in the House.
It's a difference in headcount that Republican political organizers argue signals that their generation is rallying behind their party, at a time when Democrats are battling divisions over age and fielding calls for a new generation of leaders.
"There's just not the same level of … rudderless discontent with our elected officials that you see on the Democrats' side," said Hayden Padgett, the chairman of the Young Republican National Federation.
Padgett, 33, explained that while he's seen young Democrats criticize their party for not fighting harder against President Trump's agenda, young Republicans are pleased with their party's work.
"On our side, we do feel like our members of Congress are fighting the good fight and they're winning the good fight," he said.
While the vast majority of young conservatives support Trump, his favorability rating has declined in recent months, according to Pew Research Center. In February, 94% of Trump voters under the age of 35 approved of his job as president. By August, it dropped to 69% — the biggest change among any age group.
What a young GOP pitch could look like
The one place where a young Republican has entered the race for Congress is Tennessee's 7th district, where a seat is currently vacant following the resignation of former GOP Rep. Mark Green in July. The district, which includes parts of west Nashville, is where Mason Foley, 28, has chosen to launch a long-shot bid for the House.
The Tennessee Republican did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.
His campaign may provide an early example of what a young Republican's pitch for Congress may look like during Trump's second term. In his announcement video, Foley repeatedly highlighted his age, referring to the election as "a once-in-a-generation chance to choose a better future."
"President Trump's legislative policies are making real progress," he said. "He needs a new generation of conservative leaders to step up and help finish what he started. We have to put the American dream back in reach."
That message stands in stark contrast to the one being amplified on the other side of the aisle, where some younger Democrats have demanded that longtime progressive leaders must step aside so that the party can rework its playbook following the 2024 election.
In addition to President Trump's gains with voters under 30 last fall, the Democratic Party has lost significant support from young Americans in recent years. Less than a quarter approve of the job performance of Congressional Democrats, according to the latest Harvard Youth Poll conducted in March, marking a 25-point drop compared to the fall of 2020. Congressional Republicans hold a slightly higher approval rating than Democrats, standing at 29%, but it's remained consistent over the same period.
Some young Democrats running for Congress are calling attention to the age breakdown and lengthy tenures that many hold within the party, and citing these as reasons why the party has struggled.
It's a message that 26-year-old community organizer Liam Elkind pushed earlier this summer when he launched a bid for New York's 12th Congressional district, challenging Democrat Jerry Nadler, who is 78. The longtime Democrat has since said he will retire at the end of the congressional term, a decision that Elkind had urged him to make.
"Our leaders need to answer the call now, and they aren't," Elkind said in his announcement video. "I grew up voting for [Nadler,] but we need new leaders to meet this moment because we can't wait."
Democrats have a larger share of members over the age of 80, outnumbering Republicans 13-4. And of the 52 House lawmakers who have served more than 10 terms in office, nearly 70% are Democrats. Since 2022, the party has also seen eight party members die while in office — six were age 70 or older.
Republicans have a slightly older House leadership, with an average age of 57 compared to Democrats at 52.
"When young people in the Republican Party step up, they're more welcomed," said Adam Pennings, the executive director of Run Gen Z, a group that helps young conservatives run for state and local office.
Young lawmakers are still a small share of Congress
Over the last decade, several prominent Democratic and Republican politicians in their 20s and 30s have been sent to Congress, including Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who was first elected at the age of 30 in 2014, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., at 28 in 2018 and Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla, who, at 25, became the first Gen Z elected to Congress in 2022. That said, though the share of younger House members has increased in recent years, lawmakers under 40 make up less than 10% of the current Congress.
To Pennings, young Republicans vying for office may be more likely to follow a more traditional path, first running for state and local office positions before eying Congress.
"When their congressman … steps down, then they'll step up. Whereas on the other side, it's a lot more of trying to fight in, and maybe even some might say, dog-eat-dog," he said. "On the Republican side. It's more of a waiting in the wings."
"There's a sense of like, why break it if it's working?"
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