Millennial Candidates Helped Democrats Win the Senate, and Rob Sand Broke the GOP’s Hold on Iowa

05 Nov 2026, 21:31 by Sari Moon · Thought Catalog

Scott Olson / Getty Images

Updated 36 minutes ago, November 5, 2026

Georgia reelected Jon Ossoff, 39, and Michigan elected Abdul El-Sayed, 42, as Democrats took back the Senate in the 2026 midterms. In Iowa, Rob Sand, 44, won the governor’s race, becoming the state’s first Democrat to win that office since 2010.

All 3 are millennials. Their victories came in a Democratic wave that also flipped the House, with millennial and Gen Z voters shifting sharply toward Democrats. Millennial Senate candidates performed especially well compared with candidates from other generations.

Jon Ossoff, Abdul El-Sayed, and Rob Sand celebrate Democratic victories in the 2026 midterms. Photo by Scott Olson / Getty Images / Aaron Schwartz / Finn Gomez.

Ossoff became the first millennial elected to the Senate with his 2021 victory. His political experience began as a teenage intern for John Lewis, followed by work producing investigative documentaries.

Sen. Jon Ossoff addresses the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill during Jay Clayton’s Director of National Intelligence confirmation hearing, July 15, 2026. Photo by Aaron Schwartz / Getty Images.

His approach to reaching voters includes TikTok and short-form video, alongside a Twitter history stretching back to early-2010s posts about anime, Imagine Dragons and Grand Theft Auto. His campaign messaging has emphasized healthcare and rights.

El-Sayed’s Michigan victory made him the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate. The son of Egyptian immigrants, he’s a Rhodes Scholar with a public health doctorate from Oxford and a medical degree from Columbia. He helped rebuild Detroit’s health department after the city’s bankruptcy and worked on issues connected to the Flint water crisis.

Abdul El-Sayed speaks at a post-primary press conference outside the Spirit of Detroit statue in Detroit, Michigan, on August 5, 2026, urging Michiganders to unite ahead of the general election. Photo by Finn Gomez / Getty Images.

He previously ran for Michigan governor in 2018 with support from Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. His priorities include universal healthcare, curbing corporate influence and making everyday life more affordable.

Sand’s win ended more than a decade of Republican control of Iowa’s governorship. He’s served as state auditor since 2019 and previously worked as a prosecutor, including on the Hot Lotto lottery-rigging case.

In a Republican-leaning state, Sand built a bipartisan reputation while questioning a political system that pushes people to choose sides. He used social media and town halls to reach voters, campaigning on school funding, cleaner water, rural communities and lower costs.

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