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Young Democrats want to unseat their elders. Young Republicans are happy to wait

The U.S. Capitol Dome is seen during sunrise on Sept. 5, 2024.

More than 20 Democrats under the age of 40 have announced bids for Congress, with roughly half challenging sitting members of their own party. Above, the U.S. Capitol Dome is seen during sunrise on Sept. 5, 2024.

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.

Young Republicans are generally pleased with President Trump’s approval, and party organizers say that’s one reason many have so far chosen against a bid for Congress. Above, Trump speaks at a Run Gen Z campaign event on Jan. 6, 2024 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images)

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?”

Transcript:

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

A growing number of young Democratic candidates are stepping up to run for Congress. Many are calling for generational change. They say they are fed up with their party’s current leaders. Now, on the other side of the aisle, young Republicans appear to be following a different playbook. NPR political reporter Elena Moore has been looking into this. Hi, Elena.

ELENA MOORE, BYLINE: Hey.

KELLY: Start with the numbers. Roughly how many young people are we talking about who are currently running for Congress?

MOORE: Yeah, well, the word young is relative in politics, but let’s start with those under 40. I’ve counted roughly…

KELLY: So young, Elena.

MOORE: (Laughter) I know, I know.

KELLY: They’re young (laughter).

MOORE: Well, you know, roughly 20…

KELLY: Roughly, OK.

MOORE: …Democrats in their 20s and 30s. We’ll just go away – we don’t need the word 40 in there.

KELLY: Yeah.

MOORE: But on the Republican side, I’ve only been able to track down one candidate, and that’s Mason Foley. He’s 28, and he’s running in a special election this year to represent Tennessee’s 7th District after Republican Congressman Mark Green resigned. He’s a long shot, but that’s pretty typical for new candidates running in a crowded field. Still, his campaign does give us an idea of the young Republican pitch for Congress. Take a listen to his announcement video.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MASON FOLEY: President Trump’s legislative policies are making real progress. But 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.

MOORE: So you hear there, he’s calling for a new generation, but he’s also staying positive about Trump.

KELLY: OK, so that’s the one young Republican who, so far, you’ve tracked down and confirmed is throwing his hat in. What about young Democrats?

MOORE: Well, many call for new blood in Congress as well, but the big difference is how they talk about their own party. Many young Democrats say they’re frustrated with both Trump and Democratic leaders. Of the 20 or so candidates I’ve noticed – noted so far, half are literally challenging incumbents from their own party, including longtime leaders like Nancy Pelosi. You know, some Republicans see that as part of the reason why there hasn’t been an influx of young conservatives launching bids. Hayden Padgett feels that way. He’s the chairman of the Young Republican National Federation.

HAYDEN PADGETT: There’s just not the same level of rudderless discontent. I hear all the time from young Democrats, like, oh, our party isn’t fighting enough. On our side, we do feel like our members of Congress are fighting their good fight.

KELLY: So it sounds like the young Republicans, overall, more positive about their party and how it’s doing and how it’s conducting itself. But Elena, being happy with your party and being politically ambitious are not mutually exclusive.

MOORE: Oh, yeah. And, I mean, it’s still early. We could very well see more bids in the coming months. But at the same time, you know, Democrats and Republicans might just have different long-term strategies for bringing in folks. You know, I talked to Adam Pennings about that. He’s the executive director of Run Gen Z, which helps young conservatives run for state and local office.

ADAM PENNINGS: We have young people who are in state House and state Senate and county commissioner seats waiting in the wings for when their congressman, when he steps down or she steps down. Then they’ll step up. Whereas on the other side, it’s a lot more of trying to fight in, maybe even, some might say, dog eat dog.

MOORE: He also says that when young Republicans do step up, they’re more welcomed into the party than young Democrats are.

KELLY: And what about young voters, just briefly?

MOORE: Well, young voters have traditionally been seen as a solid Democratic voting bloc, but in 2024, we saw that wasn’t completely true. A majority of folks under 30 voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris, but Trump made serious gains with this group compared to previous years. It’s also worth noting that, you know, there’s a real generational divide happening in the Democratic Party right now. You know, when looking at the current House of Representatives, both parties have about the same number of millennial members. Yes, the youngest member of Congress is a Democrat. He’s 28. But the party also has a much larger share of members over 80, outnumbering Republicans 13 to 4.

KELLY: Elena Moore, thank you.

MOORE: Thanks.

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