Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Charts: There should be an age limit on U.S. senators, readers say
The U.S. Senate's median age is 65. More than 300 readers said they would set an age limit.
When Senator Ed Markey announced last month that he plans to run for reelection in 2026 – he would be 80-years-old on Election Day – Boston.com readers like Daniel M. from Waltham had a few (rather blunt) words of advice for the septuagenarian: “Move over!”
Despite Markey’s insistence during an appearance on WCVB’s “On The Record” that he feels “the most energized [he’s] ever been,” readers were skeptical about the 78-year-old’s plans for reelection.
“Markey has been a career politician starting in 1973…New blood is needed,” reader Jim C. from Westford said in a Boston.com poll.
Advertisement:
But the concern around Markey’s reelection announcement doesn’t exist in a vacuum. In fact, a recent UMass Amherst/WCVB poll found that 72% of Bay Staters support an age limit on U.S. senators.
“We don’t see much difference based on the age of the voter or what party they support. But, if we used the average age limit of 66 years that voters want, then both U.S. Sens. Markey, age 78, and Warren, age 75, would be out of a job,” Raymond La Raja, professor of political science at UMass Amherst and co-director of the poll, said in a release.
Advertisement:
The study comes at a time when questions about the capability of older political leaders have become a part of a national conversation. The most notable example was perhaps the first (and last) debate between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump in September. Biden’s performance was largely deemed disastrous, and sparked Democratic panic about his ability to run for reelection.
The US has historically had minimum age requirements for many political leadership positions, including for senators (a person must be aged 30 or over, according to the senate qualifications clause in the Constitution). But age maximums on members of Congress are few and far between. In June, voters in North Dakota approved a ballot measure that sets an age cap (81-years-old) for representatives to the state in Congress. It’s considered the first state to impose such a requirement, though experts said the measure is likely to be challenged in court.
The Senate, by the numbers
The U.S. Senate is not getting any younger. In fact, the median age continues to rise, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of the newly installed 118th Congress. The new Senate’s median age is 65.3 years, up from 64.8 in the 117th Congress (2021-2023), 63.6 in the 116th (2019-2021) and 62.4 in the 115th (2017-2019).
Advertisement:
When we asked Boston.com readers if they would support a constitutional amendment establishing an age limit in the U.S. Senate, the overwhelming majority (93%) said yes.
Would you support a constitutional amendment establishing an age limit for the U.S. Senate?
Yes
93%
No
5%
Other
2%
“It’s important to consider older adults in all policy efforts. However, senators over 75 may lack the energy and mental vitality to make decisions that are inclusive of younger adults,” reader Alida W. from Brockton said.
If there was an age-limit in the Senate, what should it be? Readers largely settled on the 65-75 age range as the cap they would set on U.S. senators.
In reality, however, New England senators fall outside of Boston.com readers’ desired age-maximum of 65-75. In fact, nearly half (6) of the country’s 15 oldest senators are from New England:
- Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Ia.), 91
- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), 83
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), 82
- Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), 81
- Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), 81
- Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), 80
- Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), 79
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), 78
- Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), 78
- Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), 77
- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), 77
- Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), 77
- Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), 77
- Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), 77
- Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), 77
Sen. Bernie Sanders is the oldest senator in the region at 83-years-old, followed by 80-year-old Sen. Angus S. King Jr. of Maine. Sen. Christopher Murphy of Connecticut is the youngest senator in New England at 51-years-old.
Having an age-limit on senators isn’t just about making sure politicians are in the best mental shape for their constituents, readers said. Setting term limits was also a major concern for readers, in addition to a desire for a younger and more in touch Congress.
Advertisement:
Below, readers explain why they think there should be an age limit on senators.
Responses have been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.
Tell us why you think there should be an age limit on senators?
“Let younger politicians come in that will actually see the long term ramifications of their policies. I feel like the elder politicians are making decisions about things that won’t impact their whole lives. They no longer have skin in the game. Let them enjoy their retirement and start some sort of mentorship consul.” – Jessica, Leominster
“They should be no older than 79 at the end of their term. I do not deny the fact that some people can remain vigorous into their old age; but the issue is less about that and more about common history. If you are 80 years old, you might have raised someone that is currently 50-60 years old. Everyone younger than that is well beyond a full generation removed from you and your ability to understand and empathize and appreciate that experience is diminished.” – Jay, Easton
“Police officers and firefighters are forced to retire at 65, let’s make all senators and representatives also retire at 65.” – Kevin Y., West Barnstable
“Some folks age well and continue to have sharp minds throughout their senior years. But in my experience, it’s usually not the case as various degrees of memory, decision-making ability, or overall mental capacity show some level of decline in most of us. Given the job role, I would think we’d want the sharpest minds and problem solvers representing the people in order to articulate issues and viewpoints, conduct research, possibly derive out-of-the-box solutions to help solve complex problems, work in a bipartisan manner, etc. We have a law for being too young to run for good reasons, so this could just be the other bookend – we simply want representatives in their peak mental years given the criticality of the job.” – Patrick A., Stratham
“[Sixty-five] should be the cutoff age for politicians. It’s the retirement age for most Americans. Beyond this age I do not believe that one could handle the stressful workload of the Senate, especially it being a 24/7 job.” – Shawn W., Raynham
“The seniority complex in the Senate entrenches people and encourages incumbents to stick. Clearly there have been some low-performing, barely-attending, not cognitively able senators in recent years, and their constituents deserve someone able to do 100% of the job. Older senators deserve to retire and maintain respect.” – Jen, Jamaica Plain
“Cognitive decline aside, career politicians entrench themselves with more power and influence with each term served and the pendulum swings from working for the people to solidifying one’s personal power and influence. Younger candidates with fresh ideas and ambition are dissuaded from entering public service because going up against the political machine and influence of senior politicians would require a herculean effort.” – V., Athol
Kelly Chan contributed to this data report.
Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com