Millennials are the group of people born between 1981 and 1996. Throughout their lifetimes, millennials have seen numerous presidents that represent each party. They’ve seen the good and bad that comes with each leader. However, as time has progressed, it appears that more millennials are backing the Democratic Party. Democrats have aligned themselves with liberal views, which is something tons of millennials want to be associated with.
One Democratic leader millennials are fond of is Barack Obama. For a large percentage of millennials, Obama was the first Democratic president who was in office when they understood the importance of leadership. Some millennials remember Bill Clinton’s time, but nearly every millennial remembers Obama’s tenure. For African-American millennials, they had someone in the Oval Office who they felt they could aspire to be like in their lives. Even after leaving his position as President, Obama’s stayed relevant in both the political and entertainment industry.
Another Democrat who millennials can’t get enough of is Elizabeth Warren. One of the biggest issues dividing the United States in 2024 is what a woman has the right to do to her body. Warren, a Senator from Massachusetts, has been one of the loudest advocates for allowing a woman to do what she sees fit to her body. Plenty of millennials feel the same way Warren does about the issue. For more Democrat coverage, click here to read about the most popular Democrats among baby boomers.
To compile this list of the most popular Democrats among millennials, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the results from a survey conducted by YouGov. Additional information came from news sites such as The Washington Post.
1. Barack Obama
When Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United States, he broke down barriers that hadn’t been taken down since the start of the country. He became the first African-American to be elected as President. During his time in office, one of Obama’s missions was to address climate change and the different ways Americans could help the planet. He was part of the group who signed the Paris Agreement in 2015.
Another issue Obama tackled was the financial crisis that hit the United States seemingly immediately before he took office. Tons of people lost their homes and jobs in one of the worst recessions the country has ever seen. Obama’s economic impact helped plenty of people get back on their feet. A lot of millennials are firm believers that the planet needs to be taken care of with more thought. They also saw their families struggle, and even themselves if they were born near the start of the millennial years. Obama’s willingness to create change with these two issues are part of the reason millennials adore him.
2. Bernie Sanders
Something that the large majority of politicians do is take money from corporations, who then expect the politicians to create laws that help benefit the companies. Bernie Sanders is a firm believer in doing the complete opposite. Rather than take a single dollar from a corporation, Sanders campaigned with flyers and on social media, trying to connect with millennials. He quickly became one of the most popular Democrats among millennials.
One of Sanders deepest beliefs is that college is a right instead of a privilege. He thinks that furthering your education should be free, rather than cost upwards of $100,000 for some people. Millennials saw their student debt stacking up quickly. The sincerity in Sanders’ voice made millennials believe him, and continue to vote for him. Sanders came in second place to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries, where Clinton would lose to Donald Trump.
3. Jimmy Carter
One of the few people to only serve one term as the President of the United States is Jimmy Carter. During his time in office, Carter made sure to state his feelings against segregation and announce his support of the Civil Rights Movement. At the time, there were still tensions surrounding the movement and what was going to happen in the future. Carter looked right past all of it and didn’t give a political answer. Instead, he spoke from his heart.
Carter also pardoned everyone who was in jail for dodging the Vietnam War draft. Unlike a lot of wars, not everyone in the United States believed in fighting the war. It came on the heels of World War II, which meant that most people likely didn’t want to have to deploy again. The ironic part about Carter and millennials is he was only in office for a month into 1981, which is the first year millennials were born. His legend has grown over the years since he left office.
4. Elizabeth Warren
There have been plenty of successful Senators from Massachusetts who have made an impact on the United States over the years. Elizabeth Warren is the latest to do so. During her time in office, she’s been one of the voices clamoring for a woman to have the right to choose what to do with her body. The conversation was sparked when Roe v Wade was overturned at the federal level in 2022. Even though Massachusetts usually is a Democratic state, Warren wants everyone to have the right to choose.
Warren also is a big believer in regulating the banking industry. She was at the center of the stage during the financial crisis of 2008. Banks were loaning people money when they knew they likely couldn’t pay them back, causing interest rates to skyrocket. This meant people were laid off from their jobs and thousands lost their homes. Millennials look at Warren and see someone who they think has the right idea for what the United States should be.
5. Joe Biden
After serving with Barack Obama for two terms as his Vice President, Joe Biden ran against Donald Trump in 2020 to be elected as the President of the United States. Biden defeated Trump, and even got endorsements from some of the Republicans in the United States. Once inaugurated, Biden’s first task was to help the country navigate the uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 Pandemic. The end felt like it was getting closer, but there were still people who didn’t know if life would go back to how it was before the world shut down.
Biden took the United States and brought the people out of the dark they’d been experiencing. Another topic that was close to Biden’s heart was eliminating student loan debt. While not everybody’s debt has been taken away, Biden’s certainly helped countless students feel better about their future. Millennials are the age group who feel like they missed out on some of their youth because of COVID-19 and have been stressed about loans. Biden has impacted both of these tremendously.
6. Bill Clinton
When elected as the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton made it clear he wanted to focus on helping people in the United States get healthcare. Even in 2024, not every American has health insurance. There are those who think that the monthly cost doesn’t add up to being worth having in case of an emergency. Clinton tried his best to change that, something millennials in 2024 appreciate about him.
Clinton was also the man behind the North American Free Trade Agreement. Countries always exchange goods and services between each other. However, there are tons of rules and regulations that need to be followed for trading to occur. NAFTA helps the United States, Canada, and Mexico trade with each other, without numerous different rules to follow. While the end of Clinton’s tenure as President is tainted in the eyes of some, he’s still beloved by millennials.
7. Pete Buttigieg
In 2024, more people have come out as part of the LGBTQ community. Pete Buttigieg is one of the members of this community. He also happens to be the Secretary of Transportation in 2024 under Joe Biden. As the Secretary of Transportation, Buttigieg is responsible for ensuring Americans are able to travel safely within the borders of the country. With all of the new ways to get places and road repairs that need to be done, Buttigieg has his hands full.
As a member of the LGBT community, Buttigieg understands that he’s someone people of the group can look up to for inspiration. He’s also young, which means he will likely be running to become President at some point in the future. He put his hat in the ring in 2020 and became the first openly gay man to win a state caucus, when he took home Iowa. Buttigieg wants to create the best future he can for the United States.
8. Kamala Harris
Before becoming Vice President of the United States under Joe Biden, Kamala Harris was a Senator from California who was focused on helping immigrants and decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level. Since Harris is from California, she’s seen the positive impact legalizing marijuana has had on her home state. She also wants people to have the option to come to the United States if they want a better future for themselves and families. As of 2024, there are plenty of hoops to jump through in order to obtain a green card and become a citizen, which is why Harris wants to help.
As Vice President, one of Harris’ biggest goals was to work to end human trafficking. She’s spent large quantities of time working with Latin American countries to help figure out the best courses of action to end this. Because she’s African-American, Harris has become a symbol for other African-American women around the United States. She’s also the highest ranking woman in the political history of the United States. Like Biden, it’s reasonable to assume Harris will run for office at some point in the future.
9. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
When she was only 29 years old, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was elected into the House of Representatives. The former bartender made her mark quickly on D.C., as she became one of the most recognizable members of Congress. She’s openly talked about women’s rights, an issue that’s near and dear to her heart. She isn’t afraid to stand-up to anyone in Congress, even those who are double her age who have spent their entire careers in politics.
Ocasio-Cortez was also one of the first people to use social media to discuss her feelings on political topics. Unlike most politicians who give an answer they hope satisfies as many people as possible, Ocasio-Cortez tells the world how she truly feels about certain topics. This has led to people either loving her, or despising her. Because she’s still too young, Ocasio-Cortez won’t run for the presidency until the 2028 election cycle. Expect to see her name on the ballot when you go to vote, she’s likely only going to keep gaining notoriety from millennials.
10. Hillary Clinton
In 2016, Hillary Clinton nearly became the first woman to go from being the First Lady of the United States to the President of the United States. Even though more people voted for her, Clinton still lost the election to Donald Trump because of the electoral college. Clinton ran again in 2020, but couldn’t beat out Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination. That hasn’t stopped Clinton from continuing to pursue the presidency, though.
Prior to running for President, Clinton served as a Senator from New York and as the Secretary of State under Barack Obama. During her time in office, Clinton became known for putting her focus into the aftermath of the September 11th attacks on New York City. While she served as the Secretary of State, Clinton refused to use a public, government email. She only had a private email. Clinton refused to release her private emails as well, which is unlike most people who work in the government. This is widely considered to be one of the main reasons Clinton didn’t win her presidential campaign.
11. Al Gore
One of the closest presidential elections in the history of the United States came down to Al Gore and George W. Bush in 2000. Gore barely lost because of the state of Florida, which he demanded several recounts of the ballots there. The total votes between the two were only separated by 500,000 people. Considering how many people vote each year, 500,000 is a small number. However, the loss didn’t make Gore any less passionate about helping the United States.
During his time as a political leader, Gore has placed the bulk of his focus on climate change. He’s seen the data and wants to do everything he can to ensure the planet is safe and healthy long after he dies. Another issue that’s close to Gore’s heart is gun control. The gun control topic was one of the hottest topics of discussion in 2000 during the debates between Gore and Bush. In the last two decades, it’s only continued to get more intense.
12. John Kerry
Another member of the Democratic Party who made the bulk of his career about trying to help the planet is John Kerry. The former Secretary of State under Barack Obama served during Obama’s second term as President. Before that, Kerry was a Senator for 28 years from Massachusetts. As a member of Congress, Kerry spent the majority of his time working to help end the drug problem that was plaguing the United States from the time he took office. Kerry helped oversee that nobody from Latin America could smuggle drugs into the United States, which is where the majority of illegal drugs came from.
Since ending his time as Secretary of State, Kerry has served as the first United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate under Joe Biden. Unlike most people on this list, Kerry likely won’t be running for the Oval Office again in his lifetime. He can rest easy knowing he’s done wonderful work to help the planet continue to be habitable for humans. Millennials appreciate Kerry for the effort he’s put in, as climate change is one of the hottest topics among this age group.
13. Beto O’Rourke
In 2022, Beto O’Rourke almost did the unthinkable. He nearly edged out Greg Abbott to become a Democratic Governor in Texas. The historically conservative state didn’t get O’Rourke into office, but he put up a great fight. One reason people in Texas gave O’Rourke a chance is his stance on gun control. While many people from Texas own guns, they saw what took place in Uvalde, Texas at the elementary school. Afterwords, O’Rourke famously sprinted up to Greg Abbott while he was on stand, begging him to consider making a change to gun laws in the state.
O’Rourke also put his hat in the presidential race in 2020, which he couldn’t crack. Since O’Rourke is still young, he has a long political career ahead of him. O’Rourke stopped serving as a member of the House of Representatives in 2019, when he put his sole focus into becoming Governor or President. Other issues that O’Rourke holds close to his heart are the legalization of marijuana and increasing federal aid to public schools throughout the United States.
14. Nancy Pelosi
Since 1987, Nancy Pelosi has served within the House of Representatives in the United States. Unlike most Americans at the time, Pelosi opposed the invasion of Iraq and the Middle East following the events of September 11th. Pelosi was also a proponent of impeaching Donald Tump during his time as President. Pelosi has become one of the most followed politicians during her career because of how much her net worth has grown relative to what her yearly salary is.
Regardless, millennials appreciate Pelosi for standing up for the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell bill, which protected members of the LGBTQ community who were in the military. Pelosi likely won’t run for president, either, because of her age and comfort in the House of Representatives. For more political content, click here to read about the most watched presidential debates in history.