by Nolan McKendry
The youth vote has been a liability for the Republican Party since 2008.
But on Election Day, President-elect Donald Trump made the largest gains of any Republican since George W. Bush, winning 11% more voters aged 18 to 29 than he did in 2020.
At the same time, Trump’s gains among young Latino voters reflected a 19-point increase. He managed 5% more of the young African-American vote, and an 8% gain among all other races.
Also, the Democratic Party has been consistenly accused of leaving men out of the party’s platform and instead appealing to minorities, the LGBTQ community and women.
The word “men” appears in the Democrat’s official platform just three times, twice to defend members of the military, and once to challenge Trump’s Supreme Court appointees.
“While President Biden has sought to appoint judges who look like America, three-quarters of Trump’s judicial appointees were men and 84% were white,” the platform writes.
According to a 2023 Gallup poll, 51% of young men leaned Democrat in 2016. By 2023, the number had fallen to 39%.
The shift away from the Democratic Party was particularly palpable among swing states, which were crucial to Trump’s victory. Between the seven swing states, support for the Democrat’s declined on average by 10.29% from 2020.
The youth vote shift to the right was not a phenomenon exclusive to the United States, nor were their top issues.
“We see a clear shift to the right among 14- to 29-year-olds,” Klaus Hurrelmann, author of a study on German youth said. “While the parties of the current German government continue to fall in [approval], the AfD is becoming particularly popular.”
According to the study, dissatisfaction among the German youth is driven by high inflation and housing, with 41% “concerned about the reception of refugees.”
The Alternative for Germany Party ended up performing better than ever, becoming the first far right-wing party to secure an election win in the parliament since the second world war. French youth, are also embracing the populist-right, helping Marine Le Pen make ground in France’s parliament.
According to French broadcaster BFMTV, 32% of 18-24 year olds voted for the National Rally.
In America, Brooking’s did a study on top issues for young American’s.
“Young voters are experiencing a complexity of economic stress,” Brooking writes. “This includes a dramatic rise in the cost of rent and mortgages that has led many to move back in with their parents; a drastic increase in the cost of higher education that has saddled them with college debt; and limited job.”
– – –
Nolan McKendry studied Communications and Politics at Grand Valley State University. He is a Michigan native, born and raised in Canton. McKendry is a reporter for The Center Square.
Photo “Trump Supporters” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
