s midterm election results continue to be called, early indicators show that young voters turned out to defeat extremist Republicans, ultimately blocking what would have been a ‘Red Wave’ for the House and Senate. In close races decided by a few percentage points, young voters’ double-digit vote margin for Democrats secured victories for progressives across the country in key battleground states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. This data underscores the importance of youth vote mobilization and investment in this key voting bloc.

According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), young people preferred Democrats to Republicans by a 28-point margin – with young people ages 18-29 being the only age group in which a strong majority supported Democrats. Fueled by the youth vote, Democrats flipped the Senate seat in Pennsylvania. Young voters also helped Democrats win three important governorships in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. 

Early reporting from CIRCLE shows that in the Pennsylvania Senate race, where progressive Democrat John Fetterman won by a slim margin, youth ages 18-29 preferred Fetterman by 70%, with voters over 45 preferring Republican candidate Dr. Oz. 

In Wisconsin’s Governor election, Democratic Governor Tony Evers won reelection by a 3 point margin: 51% to 48%. Young voters also gave Evers support by extraordinary margins: 70% vs. 30% for Republican challenger Tim Michels. In Michigan, young voters supported Governor Gretchen Whitmer by 62% to propel her to victory over challenger and MAGA Republican Tudor Dixon. 

“Without young voters, extremist MAGA Republicans would have swept this year’s election,” NextGen PAC President Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez said. “Young people vote – and when they turn out, they show up for progressives. Voters under 30 are the reason there wasn’t a slaughter of Democrats this cycle – Gen Z and Millennials did their job. While the rest of the country discounted them, young people, and especially young people of color, showed up in massive numbers to fight for our basic rights, economic justice, and climate action. As the largest youth vote mobilization organization in the country, NextGen could not be more proud of our work to turn out young folks and help deliver these victories.” 

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