Four Gen Z Republicans Win House Seats on Election Night

Four members of Generation Z will enter the U.S. House of Representatives next year, with two additional candidates expected to take their seats on Tuesday.

Michael Alfonso, 26, is projected to carry Wisconsin's 7th district, a heavily Republican seat. Maxwell Frost, 29, already serves as the sole current Gen Z member of the House from Florida. Melat Kiros, 29, is favored to win Colorado's 1st district, a reliably blue seat. Joe Mitchell, 29, is vying for Iowa's 2nd district, a competitive race that has been labeled a tossup as voters evaluate their options.

The 2026 election cycle marks the first time a full cohort of Gen Z Republicans will serve in Congress. While the group is small, it represents a distinct shift in the age of congressional leadership.

Mitchell, a former state senator and real estate developer in northeast Iowa, has the endorsement of President Trump. He is campaigning on an anti-corruption platform that includes a six-term limit for House members and a ban on congressional stock trading. He has also rejected campaign donations from corporate PACs.

"I think people are looking for hope, regardless of what party they're in," Mitchell said. "They want to see young people get involved, and I hear that everywhere we go."

The push for younger candidates has grown within conservative circles, even as Gen Z candidates remain a small fraction of the national field. According to Future Caucus, a nonpartisan organization supporting young people in elected office, just 4% of congressional candidates nationwide this cycle were part of Gen Z. That generation was the least likely of any to advance past the primary stage.

Among the Gen Z candidates who did run, a majority filed as Democrats. Under a third filed as Republicans, and 16% did not associate with either major party or selected a third party. Conservative organizers have worked to build a bench of young leaders at local, state, and federal levels to prepare for future leadership roles.

Adam Pennings, executive director of Run Gen Z, an organization initially founded by Mitchell, said the group aims to prepare young people to lead as long-term serving officials retire. In late October, his organization announced endorsements for more than 220 Gen Z and millennial conservatives running across the country.

Riley Owen, 28, is one of those endorsed candidates. He is running for Utah's newly redrawn 1st congressional district, which heavily favors Democrats. Owen acknowledged the political realities of his district but said voters are hungry for new faces and grassroots campaigns.

As the election nears, these candidates are also debating the direction of the Republican Party. Mitchell argues the future of the GOP is an "America First party," a term that has become a point of contention within the conservative movement, particularly regarding the U.S. war with Iran. Mitchell has not come out against the war but cautioned that he does not support "endless wars."

If Alfonso wins in Wisconsin, he will be the first person born in the 2000s to serve in Congress. He is married to the daughter of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who previously held the seat from 2011 to 2019. Alfonso told Wisconsin Public Radio earlier this month that he considers his age his "greatest advantage."