Trump won 47% of under-30 voters in 2024 amid weak approval among youngest adults
Both major U.S. parties have identified the under-30 electorate as a key battleground heading into the midterm elections, with Republicans working to hold a constituency they overperformed with in 2024 and Democrats weighing how to engage a bloc responsible for much of the party’s recent primary energy, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Trump’s 2024 victory rested in part on unusual strength among younger Americans. He carried 47% of voters under 30 and a clear majority of men in that age group, according to the Journal — a departure from the cohort’s traditional Democratic lean.
Two years on, the political environment facing the president is markedly different. Trump now registers low approval ratings overall and particularly weak standing among the youngest adults, the Journal reported, a shift that compounds the historical pattern of midterm elections going to the party out of power.
For Republicans, the challenge is to hold a constituency it overperformed with two years ago. The Journal’s Washington, D.C.-based reporters are launching a special podcast series examining what the GOP is doing to retain young voters, including how candidates are addressing the persistent inflation that has marked the economy and the wild card that is artificial intelligence.
For Democrats, strong showings by socialist-leaning candidates in recent primaries have energized parts of the party’s base, according to the Journal, while presenting the party with questions about how to engage the bloc responsible for much of that energy.
Young voters themselves are navigating an economy beset by stubborn inflation and the wild card that is artificial intelligence, according to the Journal. Those issues are central to how the under-30 cohort weighs its choices, the Journal reported.