So, here we are. The mainstream narrative tells us that young voters are all but sworn members of the Democratic Party, and yet, on the ground, something else is happening.
Spend enough time in places like Pennsylvania, and you’ll notice that Generation Z isn’t the solid blue block everyone assumes. Sure, their millennial elders may still be swooning over Kamala Harris, but these younger voters, particularly the men, are showing a surprising openness to Donald Trump. It’s not just anecdotal either – it’s backed up by polling data.
Take the Harvard poll, which shows Harris leading Trump by a staggering 61% to 30% among Millennials. That’s the story we’re all used to hearing: Democrats own the youth vote. But shift the spotlight over to voters aged 18-29, and things start to look very different. An NBC News poll has Harris leading by just 16 points—50% to 34%. Still a lead, sure, but suddenly, there’s a lot more red in the picture.
And the shift isn’t just numbers on a page. Head to Trump rallies, like the one in Harrisburg this August, and you’ll meet young blue-collar workers who believe Trump is the only candidate who gets their economic reality. Go to events for JD Vance, and it’s overflowing with twenty-somethings hungry for a voice that speaks to their aspirations and their frustrations. In Butler, PA, I met dozens of first-time voters planning to pull the red lever. These are not the disengaged, disillusioned youth the left counts on—they’re paying attention, and they’re fed up.
It’s becoming clear that Gen Z isn’t buying what the Democrats are selling. And when you spend time with these voters, the reasons why come into focus. Take Saturday night at Jack Jolly’s Holiday Bar in Butler. A trio of late 30-somethings—no kids, well-off, pretty indifferent to politics. They aren’t worried about the future because they think they’ve got it all figured out.
But then, as the night wears on, a new group shows up—three guys in their twenties, two of whom are Trump supporters. And here’s the kicker: even the Harris supporter isn’t calling Trump a “threat to democracy.” These guys are talking about real issues and real problems, and they understand both sides of the argument. That’s something you just don’t see in the knee-jerk, reactionary Millennial voters.
Why is this happening? Maybe it’s because Gen Z came of age during Trump’s presidency. Maybe it’s because they aren’t as plugged into the endless leftist indoctrination pumped out by mainstream media. Or maybe, just maybe, they’re starting to wake up to the fact that the Democratic Party has nothing new to offer them. The endless promises of utopia, crushed under the weight of reality, just don’t hit the same for this generation.
Whatever the reason, the left should be worried. This isn’t just about 2024. These voters will shape the political landscape for decades. As Millennials slip into the same quiet resignation that the country isn’t getting any better, Gen Z seems to be clinging to a flicker of hope—a hope that maybe things can change.
And, of course, right on cue, the left’s response is to try to indoctrinate kids even harder. Stories out of California suggest that teachers are encouraging students to “vote” for Harris over Trump, with promises of pizza parties for those who choose correctly. This is exactly the kind of heavy-handed manipulation that younger voters are rejecting. They see through it.
Below is the alleged parent’s confrontation with the teacher.
A teacher told students that they would get a pizza party if they voted for Kamala Harris and not for Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/agrJHpDHHB
— Chrissy Clark (@chrissyclark_) October 22, 2024
So, maybe the future isn’t so bleak after all. Maybe the kids are alright.
