Gen Z Revolts: Young Voters Flee to GOP in Droves After Years of Being ‘Demonized’ by Dems
A 2025 Yale Youth Poll reveals a significant shift in the political preferences of young Americans. voters aged 18 to 21 are showing a strong preference for Republican candidates by nearly 12 points, while those aged 22 to 29 still lean Democratic by about six points. This marks a notable change from previous years when younger voters tended to support liberals overwhelmingly. Factors contributing to this trend include young conservatives rejecting some progressive social views, such as opposition to transgender athletes in women’s sports and skepticism about aid to Ukraine.Some young conservatives, like college students, express feeling unfairly labeled by liberal rhetoric and are drawn to the authenticity and straightforwardness of figures like Donald Trump. Simultaneously occurring, liberal Gen Z members attribute the shift partly to misinformation on social media. Additionally, the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and related government measures may have influenced attitudes. this emerging conservative trend among the youngest voters is creating challenges for Democrats, who are also seeing GOP gains in voter registration in key swing states, signaling a potential struggle in upcoming elections.
A Yale Youth Poll from the spring of 2025 found that voters between the ages of 18 and 21 favored Republican candidates by double digits, which could be a sign that Democrats are finally slipping with America’s younger demographic.
The survey revealed that although young people between the ages of 22 and 29 favored the Democratic candidate in their home congressional district for the 2026 election by a margin of about six points, those aged 18 and 21 favored the Republican candidate in their home district by almost 12 points.
That’s a massive shift from years past, when younger voters in high school and college were virtually a lock for liberals. Has the left finally gone too far?
In a piece outlining the poll with various quotes from student leaders, The Washington Times wrote that the tide is indeed turning.
“The youngest eligible voters lean more conservative when it comes to other social views as well,” the story read. “They’re less likely to support transgender athletes in women’s sports and oppose more aid to Ukraine.”
“It’s starting to feel cool to be a conservative now,” 19-year-old Kieran Laffey told the outlet.
Laffey, who is a junior studying political science at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., added, “Younger people all over the country are kind of waking up.”
Generation Z, born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, seems to be more aware of how radical the Democrats’ positions truly are.
“Everything we’ve seen for the past, even decade, people like myself, young, white male — we’ve been completely demonized and almost hated and told that somehow we’re wrong, we’re racist or sexist,” Laffey explained.
The liberal wing of Gen Z thinks this shift can be attributed to misinformation being disseminated through social media.
“Technology is everywhere, right at your fingertips, with TikTok and all that stuff,” said Ryan Gaire, who is president of the College Democrats chapter at Binghamton University in New York.
He added, “You can just see blatant misinformation and it’s not called out anymore.”
The COVID pandemic may have had something to do with it too.
Seeing a complete government lockdown, academic setbacks, the elimination of socializing, masking, vaccine mandates, and summer riots — all culminating in the election of a senile Joe Biden to the White House — probably didn’t go unnoticed.
The older Gen Z population dodged the lockdowns and were able to finish school, walk at graduation, and work their first jobs without interruption.
Another reason for the shift could be that young people crave authenticity. And if there’s one thing President Donald Trump brings to the table, it’s a straight-up, no-nonsense approach.
“It’s not just a phase” for young people, The Washington Times added.
It’s beginning to show with older voters, too, as Democrats are struggling to match GOP momentum in swing states when it comes to voter registration.
Last week, CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten highlighted findings that showed Republicans making massive gains in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, as well as other swing states like Nevada and Arizona.
Enten said Republicans are in their best position in 20 years when it comes to party registration.
Democrats also alienated young men in a big way. They supported talking points that deemed them toxic, ignorant, unwanted, and unfairly privileged. Now the party is clamoring for them to return.
Tough break. See you in 2026.
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