Young Republicans Seek Congressional Seats in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Colorado

Residents in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Colorado will vote this Tuesday for a group of young candidates seeking to reshape the composition of the U.S. House of Representatives. Joe Mitchell, a 29-year-old former state senator and real estate developer, is running for the second congressional district in northeast Iowa. If he wins, Mitchell would join the first-ever class of Gen Z Republicans in Congress.

Mitchell is the only Gen Z Republican candidate in a race considered a tossup. He has received an endorsement from President Donald Trump. The other Gen Z Republican candidates in the House race are running in districts that political analysts classify as reliably red or safe blue seats. Only a handful of these candidates are competitive nationally.

The current U.S. House has one Gen Z member, 29-year-old Florida Democrat Maxwell Frost. Two additional candidates are expected to win their races on Tuesday. Democratic socialist Melat Kiros, 29, is favored to take Colorado's 1st district. Republican Michael Alfonso, 26, is expected to carry Wisconsin's 7th district. If Alfonso wins, he would be the first person born in the 2000s to serve in Congress.

Alfonso is a political newcomer endorsed by Trump. He is married to the daughter of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who previously held the Wisconsin seat from 2011 to 2019. Alfonso described his age as his greatest advantage. He told Wisconsin Public Radio earlier this month that he shares the values of hard work, faith, and family with voters in the district.

Mitchell is running on what he calls an anti-corruption platform. He supports term limits for House members, capped at six terms, and a ban on congressional stock trading. He has also rejected campaign donations from corporate PACs. Mitchell said these issues resonate with voters under 30, who report high levels of concern about their economic wellbeing and distrust of institutions.

A report from Future Caucus, a nonpartisan organization, states that just 4% of congressional candidates nationwide this cycle are part of Gen Z. This makes it the least likely generation to advance past the primary. The data shows that a majority of Gen Z candidates filed as Democrats this year. Under a third filed as Republicans, and another 16% did not associate with either major party.

Adam Pennings, the executive director of Run Gen Z, said the organization is working to build a bench of young conservatives at the local, state, and federal levels. The group, which was initially founded and run by Mitchell, announced endorsements for more than 220 Gen Z and millennial conservative candidates in late October. This slate included Mitchell, Alfonso, and longshot candidates like Riley Owen.

Owen, a 28-year-old Republican, is running for Utah's newly redrawn 1st congressional district. The district heavily favors Democrats. Owen acknowledged the political realities of his race but remained optimistic. He said voters are hungry for new faces, fresh ideas, and grassroots campaigns. He believes the conservative movement has a bright future if it provides solutions that allow people to take risks and start businesses.

Mitchell argues that the future of the Republican Party is an America First party. He said younger candidates are asking how policies help the American people, a trend he believes Vice President JD Vance and other members of Trump's cabinet support. The meaning of America First has become a point of contention within the party, particularly regarding the U.S. war with Iran. Mitchell has not come out against the war, stating that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, but he said he does not support endless wars.

Mitchell said Trump's agenda squares with his own definition of America First, though he noted that people can interpret the term in different ways. The race in Iowa remains one of the few competitive congressional contests this year. Voters in the district will decide on Tuesday whether Mitchell becomes the first Gen Z Republican in the House.