50 percent: The men's vote share Democrats captured this year

Democratic candidates won 50 percent of the male vote in this year's midterm elections. That number sits 7 percentage points higher than the 43 percent share Kamala Harris received from men in 2024. The gain accompanies a visible wave of social media attention focused on the physical appearance of newly elected young men.

Content creators and fans have posted montages, AI-generated images, and parody magazine covers featuring these officials. One viral item was a mock Tiger Beat cover. Manoushka Guerrier, an Los Angeles chef and content creator, expanded on that trend by building a personality quiz that assigned men like Texas Sen.-elect James Talarico and Colorado Rep.-elect Manny Rutinel to boy band personas. She described the group as young, smart, and bold.

The focus on male candidates marks a sharp departure from the 2018 midterms. That election produced a record number of Democratic women elected to Congress. It followed the Women's March and the #MeToo movement. Now, the center of gravity has shifted toward young men who have leaned into traditional markers of masculinity. Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, for instance, posted weightlifting videos and a parody of the reality show Love Island during his campaign.

Christina Wolbrecht, a political science professor at Notre Dame University, identifies two drivers for this shift. The first is age. A poll by NPR, PBS News, and Marist found that a majority of likely voters preferred candidates with new ideas over those with prior job experience. The second driver is a reaction to the specific version of masculinity championed by the Republican base for over a decade.

"For 10-plus years, Donald Trump has presented one very distinct version of masculinity," Wolbrecht said. "It's very much power over [others]. It's very much power through wealth and status."

Democratic strategist Monica Venske started an Instagram account called Boyfriends We Deserve to address what she sees as a perception problem. She noted that many straight men felt being a Democrat was not cool or manly after the 2024 presidential loss. Venske says she highlights male candidates like Montana's incoming congressman Sam Forstag to broaden the party's image. Forstag, a former smokejumper, appeared in an announcement video repairing a truck. "If a guy who is jumping out of planes to put out fires and fixing up trucks can be a Democrat, you can be a Democrat, I promise," Venske said.

While the men's vote increased, Democratic women also secured historic wins. Georgia's Keisha Lance Bottoms will become the first Black woman governor. New Mexico's Deb Haaland will be the first Native American woman governor. Minnesota's Peggy Flanagan will serve as the first Native American woman senator. Venske noted that she is careful when describing female candidates, often using the term baddie, to avoid the scrutiny that can follow when female officials are described as attractive.