- A poll found that the prototypical congressional candidate is a healthy, educated, millennial with business experience.
- The Morning Consult/Insider survey asked more than 2,000 Americans what they value in a candidate.
If Americans could conjure an ideal congressional candidate, that person would be an educated, healthy, millennial with some form of business experience, new polling from Insider/Morning Consult indicates.
The survey is part of Insider's "Red, White, and Gray" project, which explores the ongoing gerontocracy in the US and its ramifications for a younger generation. The poll from early September inquired about what Americans value when deciding "which candidate to vote for in an election."
The most essential aspect for a candidate, according to polling, was "the candidate's health," with 85% of respondents noting that it was either "very" or "somewhat important" to them.
The issue most recently surfaced after Democratic US Senate candidate John Fetterman had a stroke in May 2022, causing him to temporarily exit the campaign trail as he recovered. The campaign of his Republican opponent, former television host Mehmet Oz, has been quick to lambast Fetterman for his health issues.
"If John Fetterman had ever eaten a vegetable in his life, then maybe he wouldn't have had a major stroke and wouldn't be in the position of having to lie about it constantly," said Rachel Tripp, Oz's senior communications advisor, in August leading to backlash from the medical community.
Another key attribute for a candidate was education, with nearly eight in 10 adult respondents saying it's either "somewhat" or "very" important. The vast majority of Congress — 94% of House representatives and 100% of senators — possess a four-year college degree and many members have some form of graduate degree as well.
In addition to education, six-in-10 respondents noted that it would be a "good thing" if more "Americans with business experience" were represented in Congress.
Congress has typically had a fair share of members with a background that included some form of business experience — over half of the representatives from the 114th Congress (who were in office from January 2015 to January 2017) had some form of "business or banking experience," according to the Brookings Institution.
Some members of Congress still own businesses as they continue to serve, such as Rep. David Trone of "Total Wine & More" and Rep. Ted Budd of "ProShots," a gun store and shooting range.
The poll found that the age of candidates matters quite a lot, with nearly seven in 10 adult respondents saying it was "very" or "somewhat important" to them.
Accordingly, respondents were asked if it would be a "good thing for the country, a bad thing, or not have an impact at all" if more members of each specific generation were represented in Congress. Among the responses, millennials polled the highest, with four in 10 adult respondents saying it would a good thing if more millennials were represented.
According to the Pew Research Center, there are only 32 millennials currently serving in Congress, making them the second-least represented age group outside of Gen Z, which has zero representation in Congress.
The survey also indicated that having "enough background and experience to serve in political office" may not matter — nearly three-fourths of adult respondents said political experience doesn't matter as long as the candidate "is in touch with the needs and wishes of voters."
The Insider/Morning Consult survey was conducted from September 8 through September 10, with 2,210 respondents and a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points.