Opinion

Striking new data about young voters should alarm Trump and the GOP

Something is happening among young voters in America — even if, to paraphrase the old Bob Dylan song, we don’t know what it is.

Consider: Youth turnout exploded during the 2018 midterm elections under President Donald Trump. Then in 2020, energized opposition to Trump among young voters was critical to his defeat. And in the 2022 midterms, surging youth participation helped fend off the widely predicted “red wave.” Even some Republicans fear that expanding youth populations in swing states pose a long-term threat to the GOP.