When Robert F Kennedy, Jr. announced in April he was running against Joe Biden in the Democratic primary, Mr Culotta was drawn to the famous political scion’s promise of upending Washington DC’s tribal politics and reluctantly rejoined the party.

Now an unofficial surrogate for RFK Jr’s independent campaign, the 22-year-old University of Vermont political science student told The Independent that he had always felt a “gut level pull” towards a third-party alternative.

“People my age are fed up,” Mr Culotta said. “We’re completely disillusioned with the two-party system.”

The 18-29-year-old demographic has historically been exercised to turn out by issues like foreign wars, climate change, threats to women’s reproductive rights, LGBT+ equality and police brutality.

But after 30-year high inflation and a federal minimum wage anchored at $7.25 per hour, many among Gen Z are feeling the pinch of financial hardship.

NYU student Olivia Archard, 20, told The Independent she senses a shift towards Gen Z prioritising their own personal finances out of grim necessity.

Link Lauren, a 25-year-old TikTok influencer who has interviewed several 2024 candidates, agrees that the next election will be all about the economy.

“The number one issue for young people is money, money, money,” he told The Independent in an interview.

“We love mother nature, but we also have to eat,” he said, citing the skyrocketing cost of rent, food and other essentials as top of mind.

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