In tight races, any group that shifts a few points can be called decisive. In 2024, however, gen Z voters actually earned the spotlight.

Take Michigan, where Donald Trump won by about 1.4 points: he and Kamala Harris evenly split the youth vote, a 24-point collapse in the Democratic edge since 2020. If young voters made up just 15% of the state’s electorate, their swing toward the president would be worth roughly 3.6 points, larger than Trump’s entire margin of victory.

Ever since, both parties have scrambled to court the tastemakers who seem to have gen Z’s ear.

At her debut briefing, the former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reserved a “new media seat” in the briefing room, inviting podcasters, influencers and content creators to apply for credentials. The NRCC, House Republicans’ campaign arm, has paid more than $120,000 to a network of conservative influencers, listing the expense simply as “media”.

Not to be outdone, the DNC has partnered with more than 500 online personalities through its “Influencer & Creative” operation – and has lately floated the idea of a creator-hosted debate during the 2028 primaries.

The same wishful theory undergirds all these efforts: both parties seem to think online creators can simply upload political opinions straight into our heads.

As a zoomer myself, I find this theory rather patronizing. More to the point, it isn’t true: there’s little........

© The Guardian