80+. Why American politics is aging

Few American politicians remain in office as long as Hal Rogers, who will run for his 24th term in the U.S. House of Representatives in the November midterm elections, writes the BBC.

The 88-year-old Republican has represented Kentucky's 5th congressional district since 1981, making him the longest-serving member of the House of Representatives.

He was first elected on the same evening that Ronald Reagan won his first presidential election with the slogan "Make America Great Again," which Donald Trump later adopted.

Among those Rogers defeated in the race for nomination this year was a man 60 years his junior.

Rogers, born in the 1930s, is far from the only American politician who continues to work at such an advanced age.

Among those in their eighties are Donald Trump (80 years old), his predecessor Joe Biden left office at 82, and Nancy Pelosi, who stepped down as House Democratic leader at the same age of 82.

Chuck Grassley remains a senator from Iowa at 93 years old. He entered politics in 1958 — even before Alaska and Hawaii became U.S. states.

The age and health of some politicians cause serious concern among both Republicans and Democrats. The question arises once again: should age limits or mandatory medical examinations be introduced for public figures?

The U.S. has one of the lowest proportions of legislators under 45 years old among developed democracies, according to data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

So why do so few young Americans become politicians? And can those who do decide to pursue a life in politics succeed?

No place for the young here?

27-year-old Republican Riley Owens is one of the few Gen Z candidates running for the U.S. Congress in the November 3 elections.

Owens is running in a newly created district in Utah, which experts believe may lean Democratic. He advocates for measures such as paid parental leave, limiting stock trading for members of Congress, and environmental protection — issues that may resonate with Democratic supporters.

When he was confirmed as the party's candidate in the state's 1st congressional district, he walked onto the stage to Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" and declared that his generation must help rebuild the American dream.

Gerontocracy is "a problem characteristic of both parties," says Owens.

"We have people who have become professional politicians and spend their entire lives in Congress," the politician believes.

According to him, this indicates that the system is not working for the benefit of American citizens. Owens notes that one of the main difficulties he faces is that in American politics, money truly dictates everything.

According to studies, campaign sponsors tend to prefer supporting incumbents.

Indeed, the campaign staff of his opponent Ben McAdams — a 51-year-old Democrat who previously served in Congress — has currently raised significantly more funds than Owens' staff.

According to data published on the Federal Election Commission website, McAdams had attracted over $2.6 million by mid-October, while Owens had attracted $150,000.

Owens argues that his generation is uniquely positioned to understand contemporary political challenges — for example, those related to technological development.

He also disputes the notion that a young candidate necessarily lacks experience: his resume includes military service and work as an analyst in the White House.

"I believe that in politics, as in business, so-called disruptive innovations are necessary," he says.

The age of leading American politicians has long been a subject of discussion.

In 1984, Ronald Reagan — then the oldest U.S. president at 73 — managed to deflect criticism by joking about the "youth and inexperience" of his opponent Walter Mondale, who was 56.

In the U.S., individual states also have their own legislative bodies, consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives; this is where many politicians begin their professional careers. Many current members of Congress spent years in state-level politics before vying for a seat in Washington.

But over time, the average age of congressmen has gradually increased. According to Congressional materials, the lowest figures — both in the House of Representatives and the Senate — were recorded in the early 1980s: 48 years and 52 years, respectively.

According to an analysis by the Pew Research Center, at the start of the current Congress, the average age of a House member was 58, and a senator was 65. For comparison: the average age of U.S. citizens is 39.

Today, increased attention is also being paid to the health and cognitive abilities of some of the country's most senior politicians. Biden's age has been one of the main topics during his presidency. To a lesser extent, questions have also arisen regarding Trump on this matter.

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The same applies to 84-year-old Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, who returned to Congress after a long absence due to a course of treatment.

Among Democrats, 88-year-old Maxine Waters faces a challenge in the leadership race as the Democratic Party's top representative on the influential House Financial Services Committee. Her age is considered a factor working against her by some.

Age versus problems

Some of the most ardent critics of gerontocracy have been candidates who identify as democratic socialists — their political views are to the left of most Democrats. In their election campaigns, they focus on the cost of living and other issues concerning millennials and Gen Z. Their supporters are also predominantly young people.

The demographic composition of voters tends to skew towards older age groups — just like among elected officials themselves.

The Pew Research Center notes that the proportion of young people — aged 18 to 29 — among those who do not participate in elections is growing.

According to Pew data, in the 2020 U.S. elections, 25% of citizens who had not yet voted belonged to this age category.

Four years later, this figure reached 30%. In 2024, voters under 30 were also underrepresented. Although this age category constituted 20% of eligible voters, it accounted for only 15% of the total votes cast.

Activists believe that demographic trends matter because they lead to certain issues remaining underrepresented.

"Yes, this can lead to predominantly older people being elected, but in my opinion, it also seriously distorts the understanding of which issues are important — what politicians deem worthy of discussion and what problems they are willing to address," says Grace Mouser, co-chair of the New York chapter of Democratic Socialists of America.

Mouser participated in the election campaign of Zohran Mamdani, who last year, at the age of 34, became the youngest New York City mayor since 1892.

Mamdani is often cited as a rare success story for a young politician, but Mouser focuses less on the politician's age than on his worldview.

In her opinion, the mere fact of being in politics for a long time is not necessarily a problem. The problem, rather, lies in the consequences: "You get so used to the language and ideas of the political establishment that everything else — any new ideas, from young or old people — seems crazy to you."

She cites 85-year-old left-leaning Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders, who has worked on Capitol Hill for a long time, yet managed to embrace change and propose ideas that resonated across generations.

Disillusioned youth

In the U.S., older people have a much better view of politicians than young people — and this gap is more pronounced than in many other countries, according to a Pew survey conducted in spring 2025.

About 62% of Americans aged 18-34 tend to believe that only a few of their elected officials — or none at all — are honest, while among people over 50, this figure is 45%. Of the 25 countries covered by the Pew study, only in Greece do young people have an even more pessimistic view of politicians' honesty.

According to one expert studying political activity on both sides of the Atlantic, disillusionment among young people can explain their reluctance to participate in political life.

He says the situation is exacerbated by the fact that age limits are set for members of Congress — on the lower end. To become a senator, a candidate must be at least 30 years old, and to become a member of the House of Representatives, at least 25 years old.

"One leads to another," notes James Sloam from King's College London. "If there are generally not enough young people participating in politics, then they won't become elected representatives."

Moreover, as Sloam points out, young people in both the U.S. and the UK realize that power is not limited to politics alone. They understand that there are many other areas of activity where they can exert influence — including on elected officials.

Young people in high political office inevitably face the question: will they succeed in their careers without neglecting their parental duties?

This summer, the stories of two prominent young women working in Washington once again raised the question of how compatible such activity is with motherhood.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 37-year-old Democratic congresswoman who took office at 29, announced she had begun the egg freezing process.

The same week in August, 29-year-old Caroline Leavitt — the youngest press secretary in White House history — announced her departure from the Trump administration. She explained her decision by her desire to spend more time with her family, including her newborn child.

"I won't be able to be the great mom my two young children deserve if I'm dedicating as much time, energy, and attention to work — the role of White House press secretary — as it requires," Leavitt said.

Only a few women have become mothers while already members of Congress, and only a few dozen people in legislative bodies have children under 18. The federal government, like many other employers in the U.S., does not provide paid parental leave.

42-year-old J.D. Vance is one of the youngest Vice Presidents in U.S. history. He recently admitted that having children might influence his decision to run for president in 2028: "We have four young children."

The struggle of two parties

America's two-party system is called another obstacle preventing young people from participating in politics.

Only a relatively narrow spectrum of views is represented, believes Sloam from King's College London. He refers to research showing that young people are more active in social movements or campaigns dedicated to specific issues than in party politics.

As for party politics, he cites the example of Mamdani and other representatives of the left political wing who seem to mobilize youth support outside the main Democratic Party support groups. However, he warns that "for now, this is sporadic."

Over the past decade, the Republican Party has experienced an internal split related to the emergence of Donald Trump's MAGA ("Make America Great Again") movement, which gained support from a significant portion of young men in the 2024 presidential election.

Some European democracies demonstrate that a more pluralistic political environment can foster more active youth participation in public life, Sloam points out.

According to him, Scandinavian countries, where multi-party systems generally exist, serve as a clear counter-example, as ruling parties in these countries interact with these social movements, trying to incorporate them into the political system.

The expert suggests that a certain cycle exists, wherein greater youth voter turnout and their trust in the political system lead to more active participation in political life.

Looking to the future

It's true that some lawmakers should know when it's time to leave the stage, experts believe. But at the same time, voters should not overlook the fact inherent to age. Nor should they confuse age with competence.

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"Age itself is a very unreliable indicator of anything," says Tracy Gendron, a professor of gerontology at the University of Virginia, whose research challenges the assumption that aging always entails a decline in physical and cognitive health.

"There can be a 45-year-old suffering from depression or substance abuse who, perhaps, doesn't have the cognitive abilities necessary for such a job," she says. "And conversely: an 85-year-old person can possess exceptional integrity, political acumen, and wisdom, who is fully capable of doing this job."

Gendron agrees that the composition of American politicians does not reflect the age structure of the country's population, but, in her opinion, this only indicates that Congress has room for improvement in terms of diversity.

"It's funny when we call it a gerontocracy and focus exclusively on age," she says. "If you look at most other aspects of representation — gender, sexual orientation, religion, race — we also see a lack of proper representation here."

Republican Owens is counting on success in Utah, although his opponent has significantly more campaign funds.

Speaking about what inspires him as a Gen Z candidate, he highlights issues such as the role of technology in public life, immigration, and problems related to the cost of living. "I am on the verge of starting my own family, evaluating expenses, and asking myself: how will I cope with this?" he says.

Asked if he sees any similarities between his campaign and those of young political candidates representing the opposite side of the political spectrum, he replies: "I would reject the 'us versus them' schema and perhaps move away from that approach a bit... [There is] a bipartisan message that many Americans on both sides of the political spectrum feel: that Washington is not working in their best interests."

Owens shares the position of Mouser — the democratic socialist supporter from New York: voters should not necessarily choose a candidate simply because he is young; the main thing is his ideas.

"For me, what you stand for, what you fight for, is much more important than the year you were born," he says.

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