by Elwood Watson
Grandma and grandpa are running Congress.
That certainly appears to be the case if you are a Democrat. When data for House members of the 118th Congress were released in 2023, the average age of Democratic representatives was 72, while the average age for Republican representatives was 48. That is a 24-year age difference, meaning the average Democrat was old enough to be a parent of their Republican counterpart.
The Democratic Party clearly has an age issue. Many people have referred to it as a gerontocracy crisis.
Immediately following their defeat in the 2024 election, the party decided to continue business as usual, resisting conventional policy and maintaining gerontocracy by electing 74-year-old Gerry Conolly (1950–2025) to serve as ranking member of the House Oversight Committee. Most members concluded 35-year-old Alexandria Ocasio Cortez was too radical and supported too many policies in sync with most Americans. In essence, they adhered to an “older is better” and an “with age comes wisdom” philosophy. The elder guard made sure that Connolly had their backing.
The dramatic chapter that crippled former President Joe Biden and handcuffed former Vice President Kamala Harris was either lost on or willfully disregarded by many party elders. Biden’s age is an indelible reminder about the vital impact this issue played in the 2024 election, reflected in pundits Alex Thompson and Jake Tapper co-authored book about his decision to run for re-election despite being in his 80s.
A recent Reuters poll demonstrates party leaders are facing an arduous battle in recruiting candidates for Congress next year — and for the White House in 2028. Some 62% of self-identified Democrats in the poll agreed with a statement that “the leadership of the Democratic Party should be replaced with new people.” Only 24% disagreed, and the rest said they weren’t sure or didn’t answer. Conversely, only 30% of Republicans polled held such sentiments about their party leadership. Former House leadership members Nancy Pelosi, Stenny Hoyer, and Jim Clyburn were well into senior years then and are now well into their 80s and show no signs of retiring. In fact, Clyburn frantically remarked, “Do you want me to commit suicide?”
Speaking of death and demise, in addition to Connolly, Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) died in office last year at age 87. Longtime Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) died in office in July 2024 at 74. Her successor, Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas), 70, died in office this past March. Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), 77, and died this year following a lengthy illness.
Earlier this year, David Hogg, the controversial vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, aroused considerable ire and resentment by telling Bill Maher, “There’ve been a few members that have come out, that have said, ‘if I retire my life is effectively over.’… Get over yourself. This isn’t about you.”
After Hogg made this statement, he became the victim of fierce attacks from various quarters of the party. James Carville referred to him as a little twerp. Not long after, Hogg resigned from his position as co-deputy chair of the Democratic Party. It appears to be easier for party elders to ignore legitimate concerns as opposed to addressing the larger symptoms.
The undeniable truth is the current Democratic Party is in shambles. The Republican Party is far from vibrant, but for different reasons, but nonetheless controls all three branches of government. In spite of its problems the Republican Party currently remains more popular than the Democratic Party. Last November, the party made notable, impressive inroads with many traditionally Democratic constituencies, including Black and Latino men, as well as young voters.
Some critics of younger members, including Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Maxwell Frost, and Zohran Mamdani, and others argue they are “too aggressive” or should “wait for their turn” to pursue certain positions. The fact is they are members of the Millennial and Gen Z generations who are being directly affected by the current state of affairs. They are well aware of the fact that the nation is heading in a downward slope that is having a disproportionate negative impact on their generations.
We do not want Clyburn or anyone else to “commit suicide”, but we do want and need you and others your age to understand what is at stake. Young, energetic, vibrant and talented democratic leaders are ready to move in, move up and begin doing the massive amount of work that needs to be done. They cannot afford to “wait” and the “turn” that is needed is a sharp, decibel-screeching U-turn to turn the nation around — now!
Copyright 2025 Elwood Watson, distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. Elwood Watson is a professor of history, Black studies, and gender and sexuality studies at East Tennessee State University. He is also an author and public speaker.