Congress' youth wave faces a brutal reality
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Gen Z and millennials have launched their biggest bid yet to remake Congress, but roughly seven in 10 were out by early September, a new report finds.
Why it matters: These two generations are struggling to clear the first hurdles of a political system that rewards experience, fundraising and established party support.
State of play: A new report from Future Caucus, a nonpartisan nonprofit that works with younger elected officials, found that a record share of this cycle's congressional candidates came from the nation's two youngest political generations.
- The group identified 3,918 candidates who filed for Congress this cycle, 31% more than in 2024.
- Of candidates with known or estimated ages, 36.4% were millennials or Gen Z, up from 23.4% in 2024.
- The report counts everyone who filed and doesn't track how many were first-time candidates.
Between the lines: Many young candidates are trying to reach Congress without the political experience that helps candidates advance.
- Just 1.7% of Gen Z candidates and 9% of millennials have served in a state legislature.
- Among congressional challengers with age data, nearly 40% of those with state legislative experience reached the general-election stage, compared with 26.2% without it.
By the numbers: Only 21.2% of Gen Z congressional candidates remained in the race at the report's September cutoff.
- That figure rose to 30.2% for millennials, 41.1% for Gen X and 44.5% for Baby Boomers.
- Nearly 33% of Gen Z candidates failed to qualify for a primary ballot, compared with 18.3% of millennials and 9.4% of Gen X.
- Incumbents averaged 59 years old, nearly nine years older than challengers.
What they're saying: "They're done waiting for somebody else to fix the problems," Future Caucus President and CEO Layla Zaidane tells Axios.
- Zaidane said Gen Z candidates running outside the two major parties face steep hurdles: raising money, recruiting volunteers and building name recognition without party infrastructure.
Zoom in: Women make up just 17.1% of Gen Z congressional candidates, compared with 26.6% of millennials and 30.7% of Gen X.
- Younger men withdrew or failed to qualify for the primary ballot at higher rates than women in their generations.
- Younger candidates are disproportionately Democrats, even as President Trump's GOP competes for young voters.
Yes, but: Young candidates are scoring some wins.
- In Colorado, 29-year-old democratic socialist Melat Kiros ousted 15-term Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette in the primary for a heavily Democratic Denver seat.
- In Iowa, 29-year-old Republican Joe Mitchell, a former state lawmaker, captured his party's nomination for an open House seat.
