Only 4% of Congressional Candidates Are Gen Z, According to New Data

Joe Mitchell, 29, is running for the U.S. House in northeast Iowa against a backdrop of shifting voter sentiment toward President Trump. If he wins the second congressional district race, he will join the first class of Gen Z Republicans in Congress. His district is one of few tossup races, positioning him as a key figure in a potential Democratic takeover of the chamber.

Mitchell holds an endorsement from President Trump and proposes term limits for House members, capping service at six terms. He also supports a ban on congressional stock trading and has refused corporate PAC money. The former state senator describes these measures as an anti-corruption platform that resonates with voters who express distrust of institutions.

"I think people are looking for hope, regardless of what party they're in," Mitchell said. "They want to see young people get involved, and I hear that everywhere we go."

The number of Gen Z candidates remains low. A report from Future Caucus, a nonpartisan group supporting young officeholders, found that only 4% of congressional candidates nationwide this cycle belong to Generation Z. This is the smallest share of any generation. The group also noted that young candidates are the least likely to advance past primary elections.

Among the small cohort, party affiliation skews Democratic. Future Caucus data shows that a majority of Gen Z candidates are Democrats, while fewer than one-third are Republicans. Michael Alfonso, 26, is a Republican candidate in Wisconsin's seventh district. He is expected to win and would become the first person born in the 2000s to serve in Congress.

Alfonso, who is married to the daughter of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, cited his age as a strategic benefit. "I have the same values of everyone here in the 7th [district]," he told Wisconsin Public Radio. "Hard work, faith and family."

Organizers are working to build a pipeline of young conservative leaders. Adam Pennings, executive director of Run Gen Z, said the group endorsed more than 220 Gen Z and millennial conservatives in late October. "Young people need a seat at the table," Pennings said. "We need to be building up young people who are ready to lead in the future."