Young voters made a dramatic shift away from Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections, with the party winning the demographic by only a slim majority.
Democrats took an overwhelming share of the young vote in the 2018 and 2020 elections, winning 64% and 61% respectively while Republicans took just 34% and 36%. That 30-point margin shrank to just 12 points on Nov. 8, with Democrats taking just 53% of the vote while Republicans expanded their share to 41%, according to the Associated Press.
Losing voters under the age of 30 is yet another threat facing a Democrats, who are already contending with withering support from the Latino community.
Republicans made huge gains among voters of color, particularly Latinos, since the 2018 and 2020 elections.
GOP candidates received just 8% support from Black voters in the 2018 midterm elections, and former President Donald Trump netted 8% in 2020. Among Latinos, Democrats enjoyed a 31-point lead in support over Republicans in 2018 and a 28-point lead in 2020.
Today, however, 17% of Black voters say they support Republicans, and Democrats’ lead among Latinos has shrunk to just 5 points, according to a November poll from the Wall Street Journal.
The fact that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis received the support of a majority of Latino voters in his state on Election Day shocked many liberal commentators.
The massive Latino support for DeSantis prompted an NBC News election night panel, including anchors Chuck Todd, Lester Host, Savannah Guthrie and MSNBC anchor José Diaz-Balart, to contemplate new strategies for reaching the community.
Todd claimed one consultant told him Democrats need to stop ‘putting Latinos in a box’ and thinking one issue will decide their votes.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.