Ron DeSantis Sweeps Gen Z Republicans in Iowa, Trump Wins Millennials, poll

Even though former President Donald Trump won the Iowa caucuses Monday night, a surprising number of Gen Z Republicans turned up in the state to vote for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Meanwhile, Trump took in more votes from millennials than any other Republican candidate.

A CNN entrance poll given to voters before they cast their ballots Monday night showed that 35 percent of voters aged 17 to 29 voted for DeSantis. It's important to note that 17-year-olds can cast their vote in the Iowa caucuses provided they turn 18 before the November 5 general election. The poll showed that 41 percent of millennials aged 30 to 44 cast their ballots for Trump.

Age ranges for the Gen Z and millennial cohorts are often blurry, but the general consensus is that Gen Z voters are between 17 and 27, according to Beresford Research, meaning some millennials may be included in the CNN poll's Gen Z voters. Millennials are between 30 and 43, meaning some Gen X voters could be included with millennials in the CNN poll.

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley came away with 23 percent of the Republican Gen Z vote and Trump took just 21 percent. Twenty-seven percent of millennials voted for DeSantis with 15 percent voting for Haley.

But Trump dominated the over-30 crowd, taking not only the millennial votes but also the majority of Gen X and Boomer votes as well. Trump won 52 percent of votes from those aged 45 to 64 and 56 percent of votes from those over 65.

DeSantis trailed with 27 percent of the millennial vote and 23 percent of the Gen X vote. Only 17 percent of Boomers voted for DeSantis in the caucuses.

Haley took 15 percent of the millennial vote and 18 percent of the Gen X vote but grabbed 24 percent of Boomers.

The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University said the vast majority of young people aged 18 to 34 are planning to vote in the 2024 election, but what isn't clear is for whom.

The CIRCLE study showed 57 percent of young people are "extremely likely" to vote in 2024. Of those polled, Gen Z were less likely to vote than millennials, with 51 percent of those aged 18 to 24 planning to vote.

Among all the Gen Z voters polled, 34 percent said they would likely vote for a Democratic candidate and 28 percent would favor a Republican. Thirty-two percent said they were undecided and 7 percent would vote for an Independent candidate.

Among millennials polled by CIRCLE, 40 percent would vote for a Democrat and 24 percent would vote for a Republican with 30 percent undecided and 7 percent favoring an Independent candidate.