Gen Z Lawmakers Target Housing Affordability in Midterm Races

Across the 2026 midterm cycle, a cohort of Generation Z candidates is centering their campaigns on the nation’s housing crisis. In Connecticut, Democratic hopefuls Olaleye Onikuyide and Eli Sabin argue that soaring rents and a chronic shortage of starter homes are forcing young people to remain with parents or relocate to lower-cost states. In Montana, 21-year-old Republican Lukas Schubert is likewise foregrounding affordable-housing reforms, positioning the issue as bipartisan.

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• Olaleye Onikuyide, 28, running for Connecticut state representative, proposes expanding mixed-income housing and creating walkable, higher-density neighborhoods to increase supply.

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• Eli Sabin, 26, also a Democratic state-house candidate, cites his experience on New Haven’s Board of Alders, where he helped revise zoning to permit denser development and more affordable units. He calls for stronger eviction protections and incentives that make home-ownership attainable for renters.

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• Lukas Schubert, Republican state representative from Kalispell, Montana, prioritizes “starter homes” such as single-family houses or duplexes. He has advocated a tax credit for developers who sell new homes at less than 85 % of the local median price—a measure that failed this session but is slated for re-introduction.

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The United States faces a housing shortage that pushes rent-burdened households into shared living arrangements well into their 30s. Sabin notes that about 70 % of New Haven residents are renters, underscoring the insecurity many young adults confront. Candidates point to Republican-led states such as Texas and Montana as models for bipartisan housing legislation, while also warning that large foreign corporations and non-citizen landowners can exacerbate scarcity.

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Onikuyide emphasizes that his lived experience as a renter informs his policy agenda, saying the state level is where “the action is happening.” Schubert frames housing as “not just a Democrat issue,” arguing that removing governmental barriers is essential for expanding entry-level home options.

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• “We're in the thick of it,” — Olaleye Onikuyide — Olaleye Onikuyide (“We're in the thick of it,”)

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