Gen Z candidates make gains in US midterm elections

Two politicians in their twenties are among the youngest candidates elected to the US Congress in the midterm elections, bringing a new generation of voices into national politics.

Republican Michael Alfonso, 26, defeated Democrat Fred Clark in Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District, becoming the youngest member of the House of Representatives and the first person born in the 2000s to serve in Congress.

A political newcomer and son-in-law of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Alfonso ran on an "America First" platform and strongly supported President Donald Trump. His campaign focused on conservative priorities, including education, healthcare and vocational training.

Democrat Melat Kiros, 29, an Ethiopian-born lawyer and democratic socialist, won Colorado's 1st Congressional District, becoming the first Gen Z woman elected to Congress. She previously defeated longtime Democratic incumbent Diana DeGette in the party primary.

Kiros, a prominent critic of Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip, has urged an arms embargo on Israel and an end to US military support, while describing the war in Gaza as genocide. She supports Medicare for All and universal childcare.

Alfonso and Kiros join Florida Democrat Maxwell Frost, 29, who became the first Gen Z member of Congress when elected in 2022. Frost, who supports Palestinian self-determination, secured another term in 2026 without facing an opponent on the ballot.