In Shift From 2024, Young Men, White Youth, and Non-College Youth Vote Democratic in 2026

Today’s young voters are the most diverse generation in American history, and their choices at the ballot box in the 2026 midterms reflect that diversity. As in other recent elections, young women and young people of color were more likely to vote for Democratic candidates. At the same time, unlike in 2024, white youth and young men also gave Democrats strong support and helped lead to the overwhelming Democratic vote choice from youth.

This data from the NORC Civic Health & Elections Project may shift slightly in the hours ahead. We will continue to update this analysis.

There remains a notable gender gap in the youth vote. Seventy percent of young women voted for a Democratic U.S. House candidate in the 2026 midterms, compared to 59% of young men. That is a major shift for young men: in 2024, according to that year’s AP VoteCast data, 56% of young men supported President Trump.

There is an even more dramatic difference among youth based on whether they identify as “gay, lesbian, bisexual, or something else.” Eighty-six percent of these youth voted for a Democratic House candidate. Among straight youth, 58% voted Democratic and 38% Republican.

The youth vote also looked very different by race/ethnicity. AAPI (81%), Black (78%), and Latino (71%) youth gave Democrats the strongest support. But white youth also voted for Democratic House candidates by a significant margin: 61% vs. 36%. As with young men, the vote choice of white youth also marks a major change from the 2024 presidential race, when white youth favored President Trump with 54% of the vote compared to 44% for Kamala Harris.

Examining race and gender together, the strongest support for Democratic candidates came from young women of color. Remarkably, more than 80% of young Black and AAPI women voted for Democratic House candidates. But in another noteworthy shift from recent elections, young white men also voted for Democrats by a 10-point margin.

In another break from the trend in recent elections, there was a relatively small difference in youth vote choice by educational attainment. Nationally, 70% of young people with a college degree voted for a Democratic House candidate and 28% for a Republican. Among youth without college experience, 60% voted for a Democrat and 35% for a Republican. Historically, there has been a much wider education gap.

There was, however, a significant difference by rurality. Seventy-one percent of young voters in urban counties and 62% of youth in suburban counties backed a Democratic House candidate. On the other hand, young rural votes gave Republicans a small five-point advantage: 50% vs. 44%. That is also a shift from rural youth compared to the 2024 presidential election, when a much higher share of rural youth (60%) voted for President Trump and 38% for Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. Similarly, in 2022, 64% of rural youth had voted for a Republican House candidate.