Young conservatives are staring straight at the same pressure points that are shaping the next election fight: high costs, shaky confidence in the future, border security, and the growing influence of AI and social media. In conversations at a Washington conference, college-aged Republicans and conservatives described a generation that feels squeezed, suspicious, and increasingly divided by the digital world around them.
Both parties know Gen Z could swing the balance of power, which is why the fight for these voters is already intense. Republicans want to keep the energy around President Donald Trump’s agenda alive, while Democrats are trying to pull younger voters toward their side and regain control of Congress.
For many of the students, the most immediate pain point is plain old affordability. Inflation, housing costs, and the sense that the basic milestones of adult life are slipping out of reach came up again and again, and that frustration is part of why some young people flirt with more radical political ideas.
Courtney Graves, a rising senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said a lot of young Americans are feeling “a little bit hopeless right now.” She said people want a home, a decent salary, and a stable future, but when those goals seem delayed or impossible, they start looking for bolder answers.
That mood fits broader concerns about housing and money. Studies have shown that buying a home has become tougher for younger adults, and a large share of renters are spending a heavy chunk of their income just to keep a roof over their heads.
Graves, whose family history includes grandparents who escaped Communist-controlled Latvia, made the case for free-market policy as the better route. She argued that Republicans need to explain that case in a clearer, more direct way to young people who are hearing a lot of competing messages.
“I think free markets are the way to have a successful and prosperous life,” Graves said. “It’s what leads to job growth, it’s what leads to being able to buy a home at the end of the day, have a family and just overall live a great quality of life and have a strong country.”
Other students framed the issue in political terms, praising Trump for bringing more transparency and accountability than the Biden years. Brody Baker, a University of Iowa student, said the current administration gives voters a better sense of what is happening in the country, even when the news is uncomfortable.
“I think we get more clarity of what’s happening with the United States as of today,” Baker said. He added that leaders should be willing to admit when gas prices are high or when parts of the economy are hurting, because that honesty matters to people trying to make it through everyday life.
For Jackson Barrick, a University of Minnesota senior, the concerns go beyond the paycheck. He pointed to immigration, border security, and foreign policy as major issues, and he said Trump has been strong on enforcement and protecting the country.
“I think it’s a really good step in terms of making sure that we have a good future going forward in the United States and protecting the homeland,” Barrick said. That kind of language hits a nerve with young conservatives who see national security and economic stability as tied together, not separate conversations.
Then there is the issue that keeps coming up more and more among students: artificial intelligence. Nick Kammerzell, a recent University of Georgia graduate, said AI worries him because of censorship, bias, and the possibility that people will treat it like an unquestionable source of truth.
“I think that it’s very scary,” Kammerzell said. “I think one of the biggest things that I’m concerned about with the AI issue is censorship and bias within AI. I think a lot of young people are becoming very dependent on it as their source of truth.”
He also warned that the technology could be used to manipulate opinions and nudge people into seeing the world a certain way. That fear lands even harder for students who already feel like the online world is steering them into louder camps and narrower viewpoints.
Baker pointed to social media algorithms as part of the same problem. He argued that platforms like Instagram can push users toward a specific agenda, and over time that can harden political divisions instead of helping people actually understand each other.
