Young North Carolina Voters Propel Don Davis, Kathy Manning, Wiley Nickel, Jeff Jackson to Victory

NextGen PAC mobilized thousands of young voters to elect progressive candidates

Raleigh, NC — Today, NextGen PAC is celebrating the youth-driven victory of Don Davis, Kathy Manning, Wiley Nickel, and Jeff Jackson for U.S. House. NextGen is also celebrating young voters turning out to protect Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto on abortion rights, blocking Republicans from a supermajority in North Carolina’s General Assembly.

Ahead of the November election, NextGen PAC leveraged its grassroots organizing infrastructure in North Carolina and mobilized thousands of young voters to defeat Republican challengers like Bo Hines, Pat Harrigan, and Christian Castelli. It is clear that without the support of young voters, Democrats would have experienced severe losses in North Carolina. NextGen PAC’s program was the largest nationwide youth voting initiative to mobilize this critical voting bloc.

“Young people in North Carolina showed up for progressives this election and turned out at historic levels to fight for a more equitable future,” NextGen PAC President and Executive Director Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez said. “The House candidates elected in North Carolina are advocates for the issues that young people care about, and today we are celebrating young people’s passion, persistence, and belief in creating a better future. Whether it’s standing up for abortion rights, economic justice, or racial justice, young people in this state could not be sending a clearer message – extremist Republicans do not reflect us and have no place in our future.”

Young people fought tirelessly to power these U.S. House candidates to victory. Throughout the tight race, young voters stepped up to hold Republican candidates like Bo Hines accountable for his dangerous position on abortion rights, economic justice, LGBTQ equality, and climate change. Moving forward, it’s evident that young North Carolinians will continue to fight against extremist MAGA Republicans and demand an inclusive vision of the future. Our youth movement delivered this historic victory.

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 North Carolinians 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.

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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.