Trump Won the Under-25 Male Vote in 2024; in the Midterms, 68% Backed Democrats for the House

Donald Trump won men under 25 by two percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, according to CNN data analyst Harry Enten. In the 2026 midterms, 68% of voters under 25 in battleground House districts backed Democratic candidates, compared with 28% for Republicans, according to preliminary estimates reported by The Washington Post.

The results cover different electorates. The 2024 finding concerns men under 25, while the 2026 figure includes men and women under 25 in competitive congressional districts. Separate national research from Tufts University's Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) found that a majority of men aged 18–29 also supported Democratic House candidates in 2026.

Trump Made Gains With Young Men in 2024

Enten reported the two-point margin on 18 November 2024, comparing it with Joe Biden's 20-point victory among men under 25 in 2020. He said he had to go back to George W. Bush's victory in 2000 to find the previous Republican presidential candidate to win the group. Trump's performance marked a sharp reversal from the previous presidential election.

Trump's campaign actively sought young men's attention through podcasts and social media. He appeared on programmes hosted by Joe Rogan and Theo Von, and took part in a live interview with Tucker Carlson in Arizona on 31 October 2024. He also appeared on Barstool Sports' Bussin' With The Boys. Politico correspondent Meredith McGraw told CNN that the campaign had sought to reach young men, including younger audiences disaffected with traditional media.

She said the campaign believed long conversations about pop culture and Trump's past as a television celebrity could present him in a different light and appeal to younger audiences. The interviews formed part of its outreach, but the voting figures cannot establish how much they influenced individual decisions.

Democrats Won Strong Support Among Younger Voters in 2026

The Washington Post's preliminary NORC analysis found that 68% of voters under 25 in battleground House districts supported Democratic candidates, while 28% backed Republicans. The category includes men and women. The districts were those rated toss-up, leaning Democratic or leaning Republican by the Cook Political Report in October. The result is not a national estimate for men under 25.

The NORC Civic Health & Elections Project surveyed more than 90,000 voters during the week before Election Day. Its estimates may change as researchers adjust the results to match actual vote tallies. In a separate national calculation of voters aged 18–29,

The Washington Post reported 67% Democratic support and 28% Republican support. CIRCLE's own national analysis of the same research project put the figures at 65% and 31%, respectively. These are separate preliminary analyses; their published reports do not explain the difference.

Young Men Also Favoured Democrats in 2026

CIRCLE's demographic analysis of the NORC project found that 58% of men aged 18–29 voted for Democratic House candidates, compared with 69% of young women. The estimates remain preliminary and could change as the analysis is updated. The findings show that Democratic support extended to young men, although young women remained more likely to back the party.

CIRCLE's analysis of 2024 AP VoteCast data found that 56% of men aged 18–29 supported Trump, compared with 42% for Kamala Harris. The findings are consistent with separate research by the American Survey Center, which also identified a shift towards Trump among young men in the 2024 election.

The age range is broader than the under-25 group in CNN's 2024 finding. The two surveys also covered different elections and used different research methods. They show contrasting group-level voting patterns, but cannot establish that individual Trump voters switched parties.

Economic Concerns Weighed on the Wider Electorate

The NBC News Exit Poll found that 75% of voters considered the US economy to be in rough shape, while 65% said Trump's policies had made economic conditions worse. The economy was the most important issue for 39% of voters, followed by the state of democracy at 32%.

Concern extended to everyday costs. Some 88% of voters were concerned about food and grocery prices, 87% about gas and diesel prices, 86% about utilities and 85% about healthcare. Another 62% said Trump was responsible for high prices. These figures describe the wider electorate, not young men specifically, and do not establish that economic concerns alone determined how younger voters cast their ballots.