Age in Congress

 The Guardian -   Of the 602 Democrats who’ve served in the House since 2001, 74 of them — roughly 12 percent — left at or beyond their life expectancy age, the CQ Roll Call analysis found using the study. That’s more than twice the rate of House Republicans, the analysis found.

The issue is even more significant at a time when questions of age have roiled Congress, particularly among Democrats. The party has lost several political powerhouses in recent years, including civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, who died in 2020 at the age of 80. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, whose health prompted questions about her fitness to serve, died in 2023 at age 90. 

Even so, members on both sides of the aisle expressed surprise at the findings.

“I think maybe the Republicans are attracting more of the younger people to get in there, because I don’t know,” said Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas. “You’ve got me thinking about that.”

Democrats are older, but not by much. The average age in Congress has trended upward — the median is now 60 years old — an increase of five years since 2001. Democrats are generally a year-and-a-half older than their Republican counterparts.