Republicans are gaining ground among millennial voters on economic issues


Democrats are losing support among millennial voters, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Monday, with the 2018 midterm elections half a year away. Only 46 percent of voters aged 18 to 34 now say they prefer a Democrat over a Republican for Congress, down from 55 percent this time in 2016. Among white millennials specifically, just 39 percent prefer a Democratic candidate.
The Republican Party has not seen a wide influx of youth support — a mere 28 percent of respondents said they intend to vote GOP, an increase of a single point since 2016 — but millennials tend to lack strong party identification and are increasingly favorable to Republican economic policies, Reuters reports. They are now almost evenly divided as to which party "has a better plan for the economy." In 2016, Democrats' economic agenda was favored by a 12-point margin.
"It sounds strange to me to say this about the Republicans, but they're helping with even the small things," said Terry Hood, 34, a Louisiana voter who backed Hillary Clinton in 2016. "They're taking less taxes out of my paycheck. I notice that."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
-
The Macrons v. Candace Owens: consequences for conspiracy theorists?
Talking Point French president and his wife are suing the right-wing influencer over bizarre claims Brigitte Macron was born a man
-
Crossword: July 29, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Codeword: July 29, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Trump executive order targets homeless
Speed Read It will now be easier for states and cities to remove homeless people from the streets
-
Columbia pays $200M to settle with White House
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students amid pro-Palestinian protests
-
Florida judge and DOJ make Epstein trouble for Trump
Speed Read The Trump administration's request to release grand jury transcripts from the Epstein investigation was denied
-
Trump attacks Obama as Epstein furor mounts
Speed Read The Trump administration accused the Obama administration of 'treasonous' behavior during the 2016 election
-
Trump administration releases MLK files
Speed Read Newly released documents on the 1968 assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did not hold any new revelations, King historians said
-
Japan's prime minister feels pressure after election losses
Speed Read Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office
-
President diagnosed with 'chronic venous insufficiency'
Speed Read The vein disorder has given Trump swollen ankles and visible bruising on his hands
-
'Bawdy' Trump letter supercharges Epstein scandal
Speed Read The Wall Street Journal published details of Trump's alleged birthday letter to Epstein