In 2022, Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost became the first Gen Zer to be elected into Congress at 25 years old. Since then, there has been a shift in the political scene as more and more Gen Zers began running for — and winning — Congressional and state government seats.
The reason behind this isn’t just that this generation is finally aging into eligibility to run for political office — it’s also because many Gen Zers are tired of waiting for change to happen, and instead are taking matters into their own hands. If you think about it, Gen Z has grown up being affected by issues that have made little to no progress since their childhood — think gun violence prevention and climate change. This generation is also plagued by growing concerns within other important issues in their adulthood, like the housing crisis and access to reproductive health care. Now, Gen Zers are standing up to be the change they want to see.
The 2024 presidential election marked the biggest year for Gen Z in politics to date. Not only were 41 million Gen Zers eligible to vote in the presidential election (8 million of them for the first time), but a record number of Gen Zers were on the ballot at all levels of government — and yes, some of them won. As of Nov. 6, here’s a list of Gen Zers who won seats on both the state and federal levels.
- Bryce Berry (D) — Georgia House of Representatives
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Bryce Berry, a 22-year-old Atlanta school teacher, won the seat of the Georgia State House District 56. He defeated the incumbent, Mesha Mainor, who had switched to the Republican party last year.
- Gabriel Sanchez (D) – Georgia House of Representatives
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Gabriel Sanchez, a 27-year-old waiter, won the seat of the Georgia State House District 42. He defeated Republican challenger Diane Jackson and describes himself as a Democratic socialist.
- Amber Hulse (R) — South Dakota State Senate
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Amber Hulse, a 26-year-old Georgetown Law graduate from Hot Springs, South Dakota, won a seat to serve on the South Dakota State Senate, representing District 30. She defeated Democratic challenger Bret Swanson.
- Wyatt Gable (R) — North Carolina House of Representatives
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Wyatt Gable, a 22-year-old college senior at East Carolina University, won a seat in the North Carolina House of Representatives House District 14. Gable beat out Democratic challenger Carmen Spicer, but truly made headlines during his race’s primary when he beat out the long-time Republican incumbent George Cleveland.
- Caroline Fairly (R) — Texas State House Representative
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Caroline Fairly, a medical negotiator from Amarillo, Texas, won a seat serving the Texas State House in District 87. Fairly beat out Democratic challenger Timothy Gassaway in a landslide.
- Maxwell Frost (D) – Florida State House Representative
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As mentioned, Maxwell Frost was the first Gen Zer to be elected into Congress in 2022. He is a graduate of Valencia college in Orlando. In the 2024 election, he beat his Republican opponent, Willie Montague, by almost 30%.
- Nabeela Syed (D) – Illinois House of Representatives
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At just 25 years old, Nabeela Syed has been re-elected in Illinois’s 51st District, a historically red district. She graduated from the University of California Berkeley and is a full-time legislator. She beat her opponent, Tosi Ufodike, with 55% of the vote.
- Jasper Martus (D) – Michigan State Representative
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Jasper Martus is a lifelong resident of Flushing, Michigan, and was re-elected as a Michigan state representative in his district. He has a degree from Michigan State University.
- John Block (R) – New Mexico State Representative
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At 27 years old, John Block won a seat to represent New Mexico House District 51. He beat his opponent, Ashlie Myers, with 61% of the vote. He is a graduate of Rutgers University and Eastern New Mexico University.
- Mana Abdi (D) – Maine State Representative
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Mana Abdi first became a representative in 2023 and was the first Somali American to be elected in Maine. She has a degree in political science and international and global studies from University of Maine at Farmington.