Republicans are gaining ground with millennial voters, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos national opinion poll.
The survey asked more than 16,000 registered voters aged 18 to 34 about their support for Republican and Democratic candidates for Congress as well as support for President Trump.
“Although nearly two of three young voters polled said they do not like Republican President Donald Trump, their distaste for him does not necessarily extend to all Republicans or translate directly into votes for Democratic congressional candidates,” Reuters reports.
The poll surveyed millennials during the first three months of 2016 and again in the first three months of this year. Overt support for Republican candidates stayed roughly the same, at 28 percent of those polled, for both 2018 and 2016. The significant change is those millennials who are open to Republican candidates; support for Democrats over Republicans for Congress fell by roughly 9 percentage points, settling at 46 percent.
Race also plays a notable factor in the Democrats’ slipping grip on millennials. White people made up the majority of the millennial vote in 2016 and can be expected to do so again in 2018. In 2016, white millennials favored Democrats over Republicans for Congress by a margin of 47 to 33 percent. Now in 2018, that gap has virtually closed – each party garners 39 percent of white millennials’ support.
For the first time, millennials will be the largest eligible voting bloc surpassing baby boomers come November. Historically Democrats have relied on the youth vote to carry them over the finish line. This new polling suggests a blue wave may be less likely than previously thought.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percentage point.
