Democrats had hoped that they would manage to win the midterms with the support of young voters and women. With each of these groups they have captured narrow majorities, but according to polls gained the support of a large majority of young women.
According to Exit polls, 72 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 29 voted for Democrats in House races. In the Pennsylvania Senate race, around 77 percent of young women voted in support of Democrat John Fetterman. This allowed him to win the Senate seat.
Elizabeth Rickert, 24, an Ohioan voter said that most young women really care about their rights, which is why they voted for the Democrats. She added that the Republican party has become more extreme in recent years and has widely moved away from core American principles of democracy.
However, outside of young women, the polls showed that neither young people nor women managed to bring in large votes for the Democrats. Around 53 percent of women overall chose Democratic candidates. The Democrats only won around 54 percent of young men’s votes as well. This shows that neither of the two groups was detrimental in helping the Democrats secure victories.
According to Gallup polls, the gender gap among young voters has remained consistent in the past two decades. Women will frequently choose more liberal candidates, while young men tend to vote for centrists.
A competing poll, AP VoteCast, has shown a similar divide in young voters. In national VoteCast surveys, around 58 percent of young women had said they voted for Democrats, while 47 percent of young men had claimed the same. The VoteCast data also showed that 49 percent of all women voted for Democrats and around 43 percent of men did the same.
