Interests of an 18-Year-Old

An 18-year-old voting for the first time in November 2026 leads with documented concerns: cost of college and student debt, climate change, housing affordability, gun violence (they grew up with active-shooter drills and were 10 during Uvalde), social media and mental health, jobs that pay enough to live on, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ acceptance, and whether democracy still works. Cornyn earns slightly more 18-year-old credit than Paxton — BSCA's mental-health and under-21 background-check provisions directly address this cohort's stated gun-violence concern, and his RFMA vote provides federal marriage-recognition certainty for LGBTQ 18-year-olds. But on cost of college, climate, housing, and reproductive freedom, both candidates offer little this cohort says they want. Paxton offers this cohort almost nothing they say they want: his anti-ESG litigation, voucher push, and tariff support work against their stated concerns on climate, school funding, and cost of living.