James Talarico speaks on election night in Austin, Texas. Talarico won his race for U.S. Senate by 12 percentage points overall, but when looking at just Gen Z, he won it by 60 points.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Democrats have done well in recent elections when they win young voters by a margin of at least 20 points. On Tuesday, they carried Gen Z — those under 30 — by nearly 50 points, according to exit polling.

It's a stunning shift from 2024 , when the party lost critical ground with young people. Long seen as a part of the Democratic base, voters under 30 shifted right towards Donald Trump, motivated by his pledge to better their economic prospects.

But this week, the youngest generation of voters issued a strong rebuke of Republicans, taking another chance on Democrats and their change-focused message at a moment when many of them feel as though the American Dream is out of reach.

How young voters powered Democrats to victory

Americans ages 18-29 have…