Both parties are targeting Gen Z voters as a potential deciding factor in November's midterm elections, with Republicans seeking to maintain momentum for President Donald Trump's legislative agenda and Democrats working to reclaim congressional majorities. At the Young America's Foundation's Freedom at 250 conference in Washington, D.C., conservative college students shared their priorities heading into the pivotal voting cycle.
The gathering brought together young conservatives from universities across the country to discuss the issues driving political engagement among their generation. The conversations reflected a bloc that both parties are actively working to court as election margins remain tight in competitive districts nationwide.
What the Right Is Saying
Young conservatives at the conference argued that free-market principles remain the best path to achieving financial stability, and said the Republican Party must improve its messaging to reach more young Americans skeptical of conservative economics. Students emphasized that they share their peers' concerns about housing costs and economic opportunity but maintain that limited government and entrepreneurship offer superior solutions.
"I think free markets are the way to have a successful and prosperous life," said Courtney Graves, a rising senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who is active with her campus conservative organization. "It's what leads to job growth, it's what leads to being able to buy a home at the end of the day, have a family and just overall live a great quality of life and have a strong country."
Graves, whose grandparents immigrated from Latvia after Communist rule, said she believes economic anxiety drives some young people toward more extreme political positions. "I think a lot of young people are feeling a little bit hopeless right now," she told Fox News Digital. "They want to be able to have a home when they grow up. They want to be able to have a nice life and a good-paying job. And what we've been seeing is that when those things don't come to fruition, people tend to go to the extremes."
Other conference attendees cited immigration policy and artificial intelligence as issues shaping their political engagement. Jackson Barrick, a senior at the University of Minnesota, said Trump's immigration enforcement agenda represents progress on a key priority. "I think it's a really good step in terms of making sure that we have a good future going forward in the United States and protecting the homeland," he said.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic strategists acknowledge the challenge of retaining young voters who increasingly express frustration with economic conditions, but argue that progressive policies offer better solutions to the concerns raised by conservative students. Party officials contend that Democratic proposals for affordable housing initiatives, expanded student loan relief, and stronger worker protections directly address the affordability anxieties expressed at the conference.
"Young people are looking for real solutions to the cost-of-living crisis," said a senior Democratic National Committee communications official who spoke on background. "Our party has concrete plans to lower housing costs, fight inflation through prescription drug pricing reforms, and ensure that economic growth benefits working Americans — not just those at the top."
Progressive advocacy groups argue that the appeal of democratic socialism among some young voters reflects legitimate concerns about whether traditional free-market approaches have delivered for their generation. Democratic legislators have pointed to polling showing strong support among younger voters for government intervention on healthcare costs and housing affordability as evidence that progressive economic policies resonate with the demographic.
What the Numbers Show
A Pew Research Center survey published in July found that 87% of Americans say buying a home is harder for young adults today than it was for their parents' generation. The finding underscores the housing affordability concerns cited by students at the conference as a driver of political dissatisfaction among their peers.
Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies reported in 2024 that nearly half of renters spent more than 30% of their income on housing, a threshold considered cost-burdened by federal standards. A separate Federal Reserve report released in May found that nearly half of Americans ages 18 to 29 received financial help from family members or others to cover an expense over the past year.
On technology concerns, Pew Research Center published data showing 48% of adults ages 18 to 29 expect artificial intelligence to have a negative impact on society over the next two decades, compared with 37% of those 50 and older. Younger adults were also more likely than older respondents to worry that AI could negatively affect their own lives.
The economic data reflects broader trends both parties are working to address heading into November, where Gen Z voters — now comprising a larger share of eligible voters as the oldest members turn 28 — represent a bloc neither side can afford to ignore in competitive races.
The Bottom Line
The midterm elections will test which party can more effectively connect with young voters frustrated by economic conditions but skeptical of the opposite party's solutions. Republicans face the challenge of translating free-market principles into messaging that resonates with Generation Z's lived experience of inflation and housing costs, while Democrats must convince fiscally conservative young voters that government intervention offers better results than deregulation.
Both parties are investing significant resources in voter outreach to the demographic, recognizing that small shifts in turnout among young Americans could determine outcomes in closely contested House and Senate races. What remains clear from the conference is that economic anxiety — whether framed as a reason to embrace or reject expanded government role — will dominate the political conversation leading into November.