First Gen Z Republicans Head to Congress as GOP Faces Tough Night

Joe Mitchell, 29, is racing to become one of the first generation of young Republicans to take a seat in Congress next year.

The former Iowa state senator is running in the state's second district, a competitive race that analysts label a tossup amid growing voter frustration with President Donald Trump.

Mitchell holds the president's endorsement. If he wins, he joins a small group of candidates born in the 2000s who are vying for House seats this fall.

Most other young Republican candidates face steep odds. One is running in a reliably red district, while the rest are challenging for seats considered safe for Democrats.

Mitchell pitches an anti-corruption platform that includes a six-term limit for House members and a ban on congressional stock trading. He also says he has rejected donations from corporate PACs.

"I just think that young people, on both sides of the aisle or no party affiliates, are frustrated with the system," Mitchell said. "They're frustrated and they should be."

The movement is still small. A report from the Future Caucus, a nonpartisan group, found that just 4% of congressional candidates nationwide this cycle are part of Gen Z. That generation was the least likely to advance past primary elections.

Among those candidates, a majority ran as Democrats. Under a third filed as Republicans, and 16% did not affiliate with either major party.

Michael Alfonso, 26, is another candidate expected to win on Tuesday. He is running in Wisconsin's 7th district, a heavily Republican seat.

Alfonso is married to the daughter of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who previously held the seat from 2011 to 2019. If elected, Alfonso would be the first person born in the 2000s to serve in Congress.

"I have the same values of everyone here in the 7th district," Alfonso told Wisconsin Public Radio. "Hard work, faith and family."

Conservative organizers are working to build a bench of young leaders for the future. Adam Pennings, executive director of Run Gen Z, said the organization announced endorsements for more than 220 Gen Z and millennial conservatives in late October. That slate included Mitchell, Alfonso, and Riley Owen, a 28-year-old running in Utah's newly redrawn 1st district, which heavily favors Democrats. Owen said voters are hungry for fresh ideas and grassroots campaigns. On the campaign trail in Iowa, Mitchell argued the Republican Party should be an America First party that asks how policies help the American people. He noted that the definition of that phrase remains a point of contention within the movement, particularly regarding the U.S. war with Iran. Mitchell said he does not support endless wars but believes Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. He added that people can interpret the president's agenda in different ways, but that it aligns with his own definition of the principle.