Americans have been begging for Congress to term-limit itself, but rather than step down, aging Democrats appear to be aiming for lifetime terms. The Wall Street Journal’s Jasmine Li explains:

Democrats have been wrestling for years over what younger progressives see as an intransigent old guard. The party’s drubbing in the 2024 elections—after octogenarian President Joe Biden was replaced at the top of ticket—left them out of power in Washington.

“I think every Democrat over 70 should make this their last term,” said Amanda Litman, the president of Run for Something, a PAC that supports young progressive candidates.

Primary challengers have cast elder lawmakers as clinging onto power and out of touch with the needs of voters. But incumbents say their experience and influence in Congress is worth defending, and many longtime members say they haven’t made up their minds yet—or have already said they are sticking around.

“I don’t think there’s any reason to say that everybody in the delegation should be leaving, especially if you want to have power,” said 71-year-old Rep. Gregory Meeks (D., N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “We want to keep the power that we have.” Meeks has filed to run for a 14th term in 2026.

The numbers are stark. While the median age of Democrats and Republicans is about the same—around 57 years old at the start of this year—Democrats have far more older members. There are 55 House Democrats age 70 or older as of Sept. 10, compared with 33 Republicans, according to data from the congressional Biographical Directory. Three House Democrats in their 70s died this year, and the last eight members of Congress to die in office have all been Democrats.

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