Young New Hampshire Voters Propel Maggie Hassan, Chris Pappas, Annie Kuster to Victory

NextGen PAC mobilized thousands of young voters to elect progressive candidates

Concord, NH — Today, NextGen PAC is celebrating the youth-driven victory of Maggie Hassan for U.S. Senate and Chris Pappas and Annie Kuster for U.S. House. Ahead of the November election, NextGen PAC leveraged its grassroots organizing infrastructure in New Hampshire and mobilized thousands of young voters to defeat Republican challengers Don Buldoc, Karoline Leavitt, and Robert Burns. It is clear that without the support of young voters, Democrats would have experienced severe losses in New Hampshire. NextGen PAC’s program was the largest nationwide youth voting initiative to mobilize this critical voting bloc.

Young people fought tirelessly to power Hassan to victory. Throughout the tight race, young voters stepped up to hold Republican candidate Don Bolduc accountable for his dangerous position on abortion rights, economic and climate justice, LGBTQ equality, and immigrant rights. Moving forward, it’s evident that young Granite Staters will continue to fight against extremist MAGA Republicans and demand an inclusive vision of the future. Our youth movement delivered this historic victory.

“Young folks in New Hampshire are passionate, persistent, and believe in creating a better future by using their voice and vote,” NextGen PAC President Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez said. “Across the state, young people showed up to power Senator Hassan to victory because they know she is committed to fighting for the issues they care about. Whether it’s standing up for abortion rights, economic justice, or affordable health care, young people in New Hampshire could not be sending a clearer message – extremist Republicans do not reflect us and have no place in our future.”

Early reporting from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) shows that young voters backed Hassan by an extraordinary 50-point margin and gave her the strongest support of any age group. Young voters rejected the agenda of extremist Republican Don Bolduc, choosing instead to elect a proven leader who will fight for progressive values and advocate for the rights of all. It is clear that young New Hampshire voters turned out and are changing the state’s political landscape and electorate. Without the support of young voters, Democrats would not be seeing Maggie Hassan return to the U.S. Senate.

Nationally Youth Are the Only Age Group to Prefer Democrats

Youth are the only age group to prefer Democrats for House races. Edison Research National Election Pool exit polls show that young people are overwhelmingly progressive, and they show up for candidates who inspire them and share their values.

According to the Edison Research National Election Pool exit poll, the national youth vote choice for the U.S. House of Representatives was 63% for Democrats, 35% for Republicans. That’s almost identical to 2020, when youth preferred Democrats to Republicans by 62% to 36%. Youth ages 18-29 are the only age group to favor Democrats in this election. Voters ages 30-44 split their votes 49%-49% between Democrats and Republicans, while older voters favored the GOP.

Specifically, young voters of color showed up for Democrats. In all, 89% of Black youth and 68% of Latino youth voted for a Democratic House candidate. Among white youth, the vote was 58% for Democrats and 40% for Republicans.

Young voters ages 18-29 also prefer Democrats in Senate and Governor races. Based on data from states where exit polls were conducted, the youth vote choice and youth share of the vote also overwhelmingly broke for progressives. This surge in support for progressives is across NextGen PAC’s key battleground states, including Arizona, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

Young New Hampshirites are stepping up to the plate to build the future that they can be proud of – one in which their elected leaders fight for a future that reflects and represents them. They know that voting is their power, and they seized the opportunity to channel it into change. NextGen is proud to have helped build a movement of young people that refuses to stand by as basic human rights, equality, and justice for all are deprioritized.

###

About NextGen PAC

NextGen PAC’s mission is to empower young voters to engage in elections and ensure our government is responsive to the largest and most diverse generation in American history. We invite 18-to-35 year olds into our democracy to ensure our government works for them and to find new solutions to the dire challenges facing our country. NextGen PAC fights for a progressive future by growing and wielding the grassroots political power of young people on the ground and online.