根据未来核心小组的数据，本周期有超过100名Z世代候选人启动竞选国会议员的行动，但鲜有人取得成功。这些参选尝试凸显了年轻人对党派僵局感到沮丧，并渴望进入政坛，即使他们的尝试大多以失败告终。未来核心小组总裁兼首席执行官莱拉·扎伊丹表示，Z世代候选人获胜较少的一个可能原因是，他们更倾向于在两大主要政党之外参选，这在统计上增加了获胜的难度。
More than 100 Generation Z candidates launched bids this cycle to run for Congress, per Future Caucus, but few have been successful. The attempts to run highlight how young adults are frustrated with partisan gridlock and want to enter the political sphere, even if their attempts are largely falling short. One possible reason for the lack of wins, says Layla Zaidane, president and CEO of Future Caucus, is that Gen Z candidates are more likely to run outside the two major parties, which makes it statistically harder to win.
扎伊丹告诉《国会山报》：“这反映了Z世代选民日益增长的独立性，更广泛地说，标明无党派倾向的人越来越多。到了选举日，我们看到更多Z世代候选人落败。”她补充说，与更有根基的候选人相比，这些年轻候选人往往较难获得财富和筹款资源。“许多Z世代候选人凭借热情或某种草根能量参选，但他们的资金不如对手充足，”她说。
“That mirrors the growing independence of Gen Z voters, and more broadly, that there are more people who areing as unaffiliated,” Zaidane told The Hill. “When it comes to election day, we’re just seeing more Gen Zers fail.”She added that these younger candidates tend to have less access to wealth and fundraising compared to more established ones. “A lot of Gen Zers are running based on enthusiasm or some grassroots energy, but they aren’t as well-funded as their opponents,” she said.
也有显著的例外。29岁的民主社会主义者梅拉特·基罗斯在今年早些时候科罗拉多州第一国会选区的一场高关注度初选中，击败了长期现任议员戴安娜·德盖特（民主党，科罗拉多州）。她几乎肯定将在11月赢下这个稳固的民主党选区。与大多数其他Z世代候选人不同，基罗斯同时拥有资金和活力。根据联邦选举委员会数据，她筹集了超过100万美元，并宣称其团队在竞选期间拨打了超过50万通电话、敲开了10万扇门。德盖特的筹款额仍多于基罗斯，达到了160万美元。
There has been a notable exception. Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old democratic socialist, knocked off long-time incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) in a high-profile primary in Colorado's 1st Congressional District earlier this year. She will almost certainly win the safely Democratic seat in November. Unlike most other Generation Z candidates, Kiros had the money and the energy. She fundraised more than $1 million, according to Federal Election Commission data, and boasted that her team made more than 500,000 calls and knocked on 100,000 doors while campaigning. DeGette still had more money than Kiros, as she had raised $1.6 million.
招募和指导参选州政府职位的年轻保守派的组织“竞选Z世代”执行主任亚当·彭宁斯告诉《国会山报》，Z世代更难闯入国会的高层职位。除了筹款困难，年轻人显然缺乏现任议员的优势。
Adam Pennings, executive director of Run Gen Z, an organization that recruits and mentors young conservatives running for state government, told The Hill that it’s harder for Gen Z to break into high-level positions in Congress. In addition to fundraising difficulties, young adults obviously lack the advantage of being incumbents.
彭宁斯表示，Z世代候选人可以利用社交媒体提高知名度和筹集资金，但广泛的社交媒体关注度并不一定意味着内容能触达特定的选民群体。“Run Gen Z”利用年龄优势。“你是一个年轻人，这是一种优势，因为你将要为你的投票后果承担40年、50年、60年的责任，”彭宁斯指出。
Pennings said that Gen Z candidates can get on social media to raise awareness and money, but a broad social media following does not necessarily mean content will reach a specific constituent base. Run Gen Z uses age to its advantage. “You are a young person and that is a benefit because you’re going to live with the consequences of your votes for 40, 50, 60 years,” Pennings noted.
扎伊丹表示，在以往的选举中，每6名候选人中就有1名年龄在45岁以下，但现在这一比例变为每3名中就有1名。“这包含了更多年轻候选人，而这种最初选择参选的热情、渴望和决定，一直在稳步增长，”她补充道。
Zaidane said that in previous elections, 1 in 6 candidates were under the age of 45, but now, it’s 1 in 3. “It includes more younger candidates, and that enthusiasm, appetite and choice to run in the first place is something that has been steadily increasing,” she added.
尽管大多数人未能通过初选，但仍有一些Z世代候选人的名字将出现在11月的选票上。除了基罗斯，29岁的爱荷华州前州众议员乔·米切尔（共和党）正在爱荷华州竞选国会议员，对手是民主党州众议员林赛·詹姆斯。该席位目前由共和党众议员阿什利·欣森持有，她正在竞选参议员。米切尔还于2020年共同创立了“Run Gen Z”。
Although the majority did not advance past their primaries, there are still some Gen Zers whose names will appear on the November ballot. In addition to Kiros, 29-year-old former Iowa state Rep. Joe Mitchell (R) is running for Congress against Democratic state Rep. Lindsay James in Iowa. The seat is currently held by Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is running for Senate. Mitchell also co-founded Run Gen Z in 2020.
共和党候选人迈克尔·阿方索今年26岁，娶了交通部长肖恩·达菲的女儿埃维塔·达菲。他正在威斯康星州第七国会选区参选，该选区目前由共和党众议员汤姆·蒂芙尼代表，后者将放弃该席位竞选州长。
GOP candidate Michael Alfonso is 26 and married to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s daughter, Evita Duffy. He is running in Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District, which is currently represented by Rep. Tom Tiffany (R), who is giving up his seat for a gubernatorial run.
此外，27岁的海军预备役成员赖利·欧文正以共和党身份在犹他州第一国会选区参选，根据其竞选网站称，他是“为了用实绩而非空谈，继续为美国梦而战”。
And Riley Owen, a 27-year-old member of the Navy Reserve, is running as a Republican in Utah’s 1st Congressional District “to keep fighting for the American dream with results, not rhetoric,” according to his campaign website.
29岁的民主党代表乔·沃格尔代表马里兰州第17立法区，曾试图在2024年竞选众议院席位。“作为一名年轻候选人，让我无论是在竞选国会、竞选州议会，还是在我的工作中，都拥有了一个平台，”沃格尔告诉《国会山报》。他将自己在2024年第六国会选区初选中的失利归因于众议员感谢April McClain Delaney（马里兰州民主党籍众议员）让他成为一名更优秀的立法者，并让他对该州各社区有了更广阔的视角。
Joe Vogel, a 29-year-old Democratic delegate who represents Maryland’s 17th Legislative District, tried to run for a seat in the House in 2024. “Being a young candidate has allowed me to have a platform both in my run for Congress and my run for the Legislature and the work I’ve been doing,” Vogel told The Hill. He credits his loss in the 6th Congressional District’s 2024 primary to Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-Md.) for making him a better legislator and giving him a broader perspective of the state’s communities.
“我认为人们对年轻候选人的一个误解是，我们只吸引年轻选民，事实并非如此，”Vogel表示。“在我的两次竞选中，我们真正建立起了一场跨越代际的群众运动。”
“One of the misconceptions that I think folks have about young candidates is that we only appeal to young voters, and that’s not the case,” Vogel said. “In both of my campaigns, we really built a multigenerational movement of folks.”
“我们希望翻开新的一页，选出新一代领导人，他们将为各项议题带来新思路和新视角，并为所需完成的工作注入新的活力与热情，”Vogel继续说道。他认为，Z世代有机会修正老一辈留下的问题，同时为未来的政治家树立榜样。“后世将回望这一刻，并问道：‘他们做了什么？他们如何应对这一时刻？’”Vogel谈到Z世代的参与时说道。
“We’re looking to turn the page and elect a new generation of leaders who would bring new ideas and a fresh perspective to the issues and a new sense of energy and enthusiasm for the work that needs to be done,” Vogel continued. He argues that Gen Z has a chance to fix what older generations have done while giving future politicians something to look up to. “Generations to come will look at this moment in time right now and ask, ‘What did they do, how did they meet this moment?’”Vogel said of Gen Z’s involvement.
最重要的是，本次选举的失利并未让年轻人气馁。据Zaidane观察，Z世代候选人有一种“我不需要等待轮到我”的心态。当年轻候选人进入全国视野时，往往被视为立场激进。但实际上，Zaidane表示，他们只是更有激情。“如此多的人在传统的真正政党体系之外参选，这告诉我们，他们的观点和竞选议题比你想象的要细致得多，”她说道。
Above all, this election’s losses have not discouraged young adults. Gen Z candidates have a sense of “I don’t need to wait my turn,” according to Zaidane. When younger candidates come into the national spotlight, they’re often seen as having extreme positions. In reality, Zaidane said, they’re more passionate. “The fact that so many of them are running outside the traditional true party system tells us that there's a lot more nuance in their views and the issues that they're running on than you might assume,” she said.
The Feed是由《The Hill》三位Z世代编辑共同打造的每周Z世代专栏。我们致力于深入了解我们这一代人的政治生态。欢迎发送线索或评论至awalker@thehill.com、jfeldstein@thehill.com或cleibowitz@thehill.com。
The Feed is a weekly scoop on Generation Z put together by three Generation Z editors at The Hill. We’re working to understand the ins and outs of our generation’s politics. Send tips or comments to awalker@thehill.com, jfeldstein@thehill.com or cleibowitz@thehill.com.