How young voters helped influence the outcome of the 2026 midterm elections

Well, as the results of this historic midterm continue to be analyzed, there is one voting group that stands out when it comes to Democratic support. And we're talking about voters. Under the age of 30, an Associated Press voter poll showed about 7 in 10 voters under 30 supported the Democratic candidate in their local U.S. House race, while about 3 in 10 said they voted for the Republican. That is a dramatic shift from 2024, when the youngest voters were roughly split between President Trump and then-president Kamala, presidential candidate Kamala Harris. According to the AP, 47% of young voters went for Trump with 51% voting for Harris, that was just a four-point difference. All right, let's talk about what these numbers mean for both parties and politics in general. As we move forward, we want to welcome in Sa'an Bell, the executive vice president at Power California, which is a group focused on making sure young voters of color in California and their families have a voice in how we are governed. Sa'an, thanks so much for joining us. Yeah, thank you, Claudine. So what do these numbers tell you? What is it about the Democratic Party, their platform, or their candidates that's pulling young voters to them? Yeah, so this was absolutely one of the most historic elections in a generation. Young voters were absolutely a decisive force and across this country, young people showed up at one of the highest rates we have seen in a midterm election in the last 30 years. And what we saw was that the cost of living crisis, the rejection of politics as usual, a rejection of ISIS terror in our communities really defined this election. This wasn't about a shift in party loyalty, this was a loud. Clear demand for change. And the reality is if that politicians don't address the day-to-day needs of our families, we will vote you out. Yeah, I mean, certainly you talk about a tipping point. There's certainly a lot of issues there that were very important to these young voters, enough for them to say, you know what, I'm going to get engaged. That has been a struggle to get young people to vote and be engaged. I wonder if some of these issues are resolved, if some of this calms down, affordability gets better, if these issues are addressed, are these voters going to stay engaged or will they again be hard to get to? Well, absolutely. I mean, like I said, I mean, this election really came down to the cost of living crisis and a rejection of politicians who prioritize their corporate donors over the people that actually elected them. And what we are seeing is that we are entering into a new era of accountability. Our votes are not guaranteed. And what we've been hearing a lot about is this blue wave, but this is actually a new wave of generational leaders. whose loyalty isn't blue or red, these are elected leaders who pride themselves on being accountable to the people that they represent, right? Leaders won't be judged by what they promise, they will be judged by what they deliver. And if these leaders deliver, they will continue to be our representatives. Yeah, certainly. I wonder, were you surprised though? I mean, you are talking to young voters all the time and you're hearing from them. Were you surprised by these numbers that they came out as strong as they did? Absolutely not. I think the biggest and most important thing is that, again, right, this cost of living crisis, young voters have been wanting Thank these issues that they care about most to be addressed, and they have sent the same message multiple times. If our immediate needs, if our day-to-day needs are not met, right, we will I will demonstrate. That at the polls, and that is what they did here in this historic midterm 2026 election. you. Yeah, young voters are certainly looking at their futures and want those to look brighter. I want to talk about another poll that has some interesting numbers. Yeah, let's do it. This one is from Tufts University, and it talks about how much youth support there is for Democratic candidates when you compare that with the voting patterns of other age groups. Now, on the screen, you got on your left, 66% of voters under the age of 30. Did vote for the Democratic House candidate, 31% with the Republican, which is a 35-point difference. But what we're contrasting here are the older voters. So voters 65 and older, 53% voted for the Democratic candidate, while 46% voted the Republican. A seven-point difference, which is a much smaller gap. The disparity between generations and how they're looking at politics and the issues, because certainly we know affordability is an issue across. All age groups, everyone's concerned about it. But what is happening here in your mind? I think for me as a millennial who came up through the pandemic and I'm also thinking about our members who are Gen Zs. Many of us feel that the pandemic in the last 10 years really put our lives on hold. Not only is it much more difficult for us to purchase homes as millennials, for a lot of young Gen Zs who are graduating, it is very incredibly difficult for So for them to find jobs. Right, and I think that a lot of that political sentiment, a lot of that day-to-day experience and how our lives have changed over the last 10 years and how we've been impacted really shows, I think that that's what we're seeing in the Tufts poll. Yeah, you say that for young voters it's not necessarily party, it is certainly the the issues that are driving them to... To go to the polls and elect these candidates, a lot of candidates from very diverse backgrounds. You've got young candidates going in there. I'm curious as they talk about the leadership in the House and in the Senate that's been coming up about whether the current leaders, whether it's Hakeem Jeffries or Chuck Schumer, should stay in those positions or there should be a change across the board. What do you think young voters are looking for? They certainly put a lot of new voices into Congress. Yeah, I mean, I think it's important, right? We just didn't turn up and show out, right, in this election to have the same old, same old leadership, right? We are demanding a new political reality again, right? There's a new wave of generational leaders, a new wave of talent. Who ran on campaigns without any corporate dollars and are committed to truly supporting their constituents. And so in the same ways that we voted in this new wave of leadership, we are expecting a new wave of leadership with the speakers who represent us in Congress. All right. Certainly a lot to watch as these weeks go ahead. And certainly as we move into January and everyone gets sworn into Congress, but certainly young voters definitely making their voices heard. All right. So on Bell, we have to leave it there, but we appreciate your insight and we appreciate you joining us here on The Five. Yeah, thank you so much, Claudine. All right. And we'll be right back.