Republicans Are Losing Key Supporters That Fueled Donald Trump’s 2024 Win - Newsweek

Gen Z voters powered President Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election. But, two years later, Republicans are losing ground among the youngest voting group amid economic anxiety, according to several recent polls published ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Trump’s inroads with Gen Z voters were among the most surprising developments of the 2024 election. Young voters historically vote for Democrats by wide margins, but Trump lost them by only 11 points to former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, 54 percent to 43 percent, while winning young men by a single point, according to CNN exit polling data.

That’s a historically strong showing for a Republican in modern politics.

However, the latest polls have found Gen Z voters shifting leftward for the midterms, another warning sign for Republicans in the battle for control of both the House of Representatives and Senate on November 3. Gen Z also held gloomy views toward the economy, a major driver of voter behavior in those surveys.

The president’s party historically loses congressional seats when he is unpopular, and Trump’s national polling numbers have fallen across all voter groups since his 2024 campaign, when he emphasized affordability as a cornerstone of his election bid. Americans continue to face high prices, and economic concerns including tariffs, the high cost of living as well as surging gas prices amid the unpopular war with Iran have contributed to the decline in Trump’s popularity.

Gen Z voters are backing Democrats by large margins ahead of the midterms, the latest polls of the generic ballot show.

In a poll from The New York Times, Democrats were winning over those between the ages of 18 to 29 by 35 points, 64 percent to 29 percent, with 7 percent saying they are not sure who they would vote for.

That represents Democrats’ strongest voting bloc by generation. They won those 30 to 44 by 21 points, 57 percent to 36 percent. Republicans won those 45 to 64 by 2 points, 49 percent to 47 percent, while Democrats won those 65 or older by 3 points, 49 percent to 46 percent.

Overall, Democrats led the generic ballot by 8 points, 51 percent to 43 percent.

The poll surveyed 1,503 voters from September 8 to 13, 2026, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

Democrats were also winning Gen Z in a new Fox News poll. Among those under 30, Democrats had a 29-point lead, 63 percent to 34 percent. It surveyed 1,211 registered voters from September 11 to 14, 2026.

Similar numbers were reported by YouGov, which gave Democrats a 21-point lead on the generic ballot, 51 percent to 30 percent, with 12 percent undecided and 6 percent saying they would not vote in the midterms. It surveyed 1,461 registered voters from September 11 to 14, 2026 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

Nina Raneses, a Democratic National Committee spokesperson, told Newsweek that young people "deserve leaders who are fighting for them."

"Trump has failed to deliver on his promises to young people, instead raising prices, worsening corruption, and deepening American involvement in foreign conflicts. This November, the contrast couldn’t be more clear: while Trump and Republicans have betrayed young Americans, Democrats are lowering costs and creating a brighter vision for their futures," Raneses said.

Natalie Baldassarre, national press secretary for the Republican National Committee, told Newsweek that Republicans are "making it easier to buy a home and more affordable to start a family."

"Meanwhile, Democrats are pitching a fantasy—that everything can be free—and it's the same empty promise as a kid running for student body president on 'more recess for everyone.' Families deserve real answers, not fluffy campaign slogans," she said.

Negative views toward Trump could be a major factor shaping Gen Z’s voting behavior in the midterms.

In the poll from the Times, only 18 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 said they approve of Trump’s job performance.

The Fox News poll found that only 29 percent of those younger than 30 approved of him. That number was 31 percent in the YouGov poll.

That’s lower than the general population in each of those polls. His overall approval rating stood at 38 percent in the poll from the Times, 39 percent in the Fox News poll and 40 percent in the YouGov poll.

Young Americans are not optimistic about the state of the economy, the polls have found.

In the poll from the Times, only 9 percent rated the economy as being either good or excellent, lower than any age group. The Fox News poll found that 68 percent of those younger than 30 believe Trump’s policies have made the economy worse, compared to 42 percent who are older than 45 and 62 percent 65 or older.

The YouGov poll, however, told a different story. It found that 32 percent of those 18 to 29 described the economy as being excellent or good, a stronger number than other age groups.

Trump receiving 43 percent of the vote among those ages 18 to 29 marked a high point for him compared to 2020 and 2016, when he received 36 percent of the vote in each election.

Republicans also struggled with the youth vote in 2008 and 2012, when former President Barack Obama won the group by large margins. The last time they backed Democrats by a single-digit margin was 2004, when John Kerry won them by only 9 points, according to exit polling data from The New York Times.

Polls will continue to be closely watched over the coming weeks ahead of the midterms as a key gauge to how all voters are responding to ongoing political developments. Candidates are making their cases to voters and facing off in debates as November 3 inches closer.