Three Young Republicans Set to Join Congress in Historic Firsts

Elections held on Tuesday will determine whether three additional members of Generation Z enter the U.S. House of Representatives. If current polling holds, the chamber will gain its first young Republican class, joining the only current member from that demographic. The winners will form a new cohort of legislators born in the 1990s or later, a group that has historically held minimal seats in Washington.

Joe Mitchell, a 29-year-old former state senator and real estate developer from northeast Iowa, is running for the second congressional district. He holds an endorsement from President Trump and faces a competitive race in a district considered a tossup. Mitchell says his platform focuses on what he calls an anti-corruption agenda, which includes a ban on congressional stock trading and a maximum of six terms in the House. He has also rejected donations from corporate political action committees.

Two other candidates are expected to win their respective races. In Colorado’s first district, a reliably blue seat, Democratic socialist Melat Kiros, 29, is the favorite. In Wisconsin’s seventh district, a heavily Republican seat, Michael Alfonso, 26, is expected to carry the election. Alfonso is a political newcomer endorsed by Trump and is married to the daughter of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who previously held the seat from 2011 until 2019.

Alfonso will be the first person born in the 2000s to serve in Congress if he wins. In a recent interview with Wisconsin Public Radio, he described his age as his greatest advantage. “I have the same values of everyone here in the 7th [district],” Alfonso said. “Hard work, faith and family.”

Mitchell argues that voters are seeking hope and fresh leadership regardless of party affiliation. He noted that Americans under 30 report high levels of distrust for institutions and concern for their economic wellbeing. “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.”

Running for Congress in one’s twenties remains rare. The House requires a minimum age of 25, and the oldest members of Generation Z will not turn 30 until next year. According to a report from the Future Caucus, a nonpartisan organization, just 4% of congressional candidates nationwide this cycle were part of Generation Z. That generation was the least likely of any cohort to advance past the primary stage.

Young Republicans face an even steeper climb. Future Caucus data indicates that a majority of Generation Z candidates this year filed as Democrats, while fewer than a third ran as Republicans. Another 16% did not associate with either major party or selected a third party. Conservative organizers say they are working to build a bench of young leaders at the local, state, and federal levels.

Adam Pennings, executive director of Run Gen Z, an organization founded by Mitchell, stated that young people need a seat at the table to prepare for future leadership. “We need to be building up young people who are ready to lead in the future when some of these more, you know, long-term serving people retire,” Pennings said. In late October, his organization announced endorsements for more than 220 Generation Z and millennial conservatives running across the country.

The slate includes longshot candidates like Riley Owen, a 28-year-old Republican running in Utah’s newly redrawn first congressional district, which heavily favors Democrats. Owen acknowledged the political realities of his district but remained optimistic. “People are hungry for a new solution, new faces, fresh ideas, and a grassroots campaign like the one we’re running,” Owen said.

Mitchell argues that the future of the Republican Party is an America First party. He believes this approach focuses on how policies help the American people. He stated that Vice President JD Vance and other members of Trump’s cabinet hold this view. The definition of America First has become a point of contention within the conservative movement, particularly as factions clash over the U.S. war with Iran. Mitchell has not come out against the war but has said he does not support endless wars.