In 2024, Generation Z made a historic shift towards conservatism, voting at a younger age than any other demographic, and contributing to the election of Donald Trump as the forty-seventh President of the United States of America. This is not just a one-time event, but a seismic shift that the Republican Party and the conservative movement must seize upon with utmost urgency.
Recent trends, such as the emphasis on economic stability for families, housing purchasing power, and the rejection of Marxist ideology on gender and cultural issues have propelled Generation Z towards the right and the populist movement within the GOP. Populism is a potent force, but it will come at a cost if conservatives do not act swiftly.
The rise of communist migrant Zohran Mamdani in New York City is a stark reminder that populism can sway the same young voter base to the left if the right fails to engage with them.
Gen Z is shifting away and outright rejecting the idea of dependency. They value the concept of economic mobility and strongly disdain the idea of centralized systems designed to enforce alignment with the government's needs instead of their families' needs.
Similar to the 1960s counterculture that led to the formation of former President Ronald Reagan's political stronghold, the Republican Party now has the first opportunity since that era to create a movement that could lead to their party dominating state, local, and national elections for a long time to come. Opportunity, economic foundation for this generation's families, and an embrace of an independent citizenry to become household owners instead of renters is precisely what may build the next great conservative generation.
Economic frustration is a powerful catalyst for political realignment. This was evident in New York, where Assemblyman and Ugandan migrant Zohran Mamdani's victory in the city's Mayoral Democratic Primary over incumbent New York City Mayor Eric Adams and former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo was a notable development. When young people are burdened by debt and high rent in major metropolitan areas like New York City, they are more likely to be receptive to populist messages.
This underscores the potential for such messages to resonate with a disenfranchised young voter base. Without conservative messaging in these areas and other parts of the country, such as union-based states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, the next generation will fall to the left if the right fails to listen to the concerns of Generation Z. Without conservative action, the left will be free to prey on this base with the promise of redistributionist socialism, government-run grocery stores, and universal basic income.
Conservatives need to start prioritizing policies that appeal to Gen Z. Cutting regulation by removing red tape for businesses, rather than allowing the government to take them over, would be a good start to promoting entrepreneurship and ensuring that a deregulation of zoning practices could incentivize Gen Z to actually own property. With education, conservatives could move further away from the requirement of collegiate degree programs and instead promote trade schools or more affordable opportunities that don't require reliance on loans or other means of paying off their educational debt.
Socialism promotes 'free' as a basis to make this appeal, but conservatives should push the idea that this generation should be financially independent instead of reliant on politicians.
This appeal is where MAGA should come in. The ambition to succeed and self-reliance is what the current movement, which Donald Trump initiated by coming down the escalator in 2015, has embraced throughout its ten-year history.
The urgent part is that we have to act quickly. By 2029, the next political alignment will already have occurred. That means that conservatives have three and a half years to reduce regulation, create jobs that are within our borders, and lower housing costs for this generation's success.
Embracing Gen Z's concerns is not just a strategy, but a necessity for creating a sustainable future for the Republican Party. By following in Trump's footsteps, the GOP must embrace populism as its identity. Understanding and addressing Gen Z's concerns, while rejecting the elitist attitudes, policies, and figures of the past, is the only path forward.
Otherwise, a failure to do so will lead our nation down a path that it will never recover from through the institution of socialism, Marxist culture, and a government so culturally decrepit that we may lose America for good. We must listen to Gen Z and make their concerns our own.
Conservatism is on the brink of the next significant political realignment that will be in its favor, and it must act now to capitalize on this opportunity.
The next generational shift in American politics will happen by 2029, and we, as conservatives, have the potential to ensure that it is towards our movement and values instead of a type of leftism that will destroy our country's foundation forever. We are in a race to restore the American dream, and the MAGA movement needs Gen Z to win it. The potential for a conservative future is within reach, and it's time to act.
