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Gen Z voters broke for Democrats 66% to 31% in the midterms — and the Iran war cracked their top three issues
Overall, 27% of young people – meaning people ages 18 to 29 – went to the polls during the midterms, our Nov. 5 analysis shows.
Brief
Researchers at CIRCLE, a nonpartisan youth civic engagement group at Tufts University, report that young voters aged 18 to 29 leaned heavily toward Democrats in the November 2026 midterms. Their data shows about 66% backed a Democratic House candidate and 31% a Republican, the highest Democratic share of any age group. Young women favored Democrats at 70%, versus 59% of young men. Overall youth turnout reached 27%, the second-highest midterm rate in 30 years, behind only 2018. The economy and jobs ranked as the top issue, followed by healthcare and the Iran war, which the researchers link to concerns about the cost of living. The author, a CIRCLE senior researcher, notes that young voters have rarely ranked foreign policy issues highly before.
Why it matters: The findings matter to crypto readers as a snapshot of how economic concerns and cost of living are shaping voter priorities in a major election.
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