Congressman James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), 43; a member of Generation X, born 1968.

“When voters elected 87 new GOP members to the House last year, they chose a crop of young, conservative politicians — more than half in their 30s and 40s — whose perspective differs dramatically from many of their older colleagues. Their arrival has sped up the generational shift in Congress, where baby boomers and their elders are gradually being replaced by members of Generation X.

These politicians belong to the first modern generation of Americans not expected to earn more money than their parents. It’s a generation defined by their distrust in institutions and, for many, a deference to markets. They’ve never been drafted to go to war and they’ve rarely heard a politician make the case that the federal government can provide the cure for the nation’s ills. Many of the young Republicans formed their lasting political notions during the presidency of a man who was born 100 years before they were sworn in. The average age of the GOP freshman is 47, meaning many probably cast their first presidential vote when Reagan was reelected in 1984.”

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