July 2, 2025, 4:54 p.m.
Age isn’t just a number for the House Democratic Caucus as the party grapples with a gerontocracy that some internal critics claim helped pave the way for President Trump's return to the White House.
Revelations about former President Biden’s alleged mental decline in the final months of his term have added new urgency for the Democratic Party to address the aging of its leadership class before the next presidential cycle. The deaths of three Democratic members—all 70 or older—in the first six months of the new Congress also raised concerns over how effective some of these older members can be in executing the responsibilities of their offices.
Former Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg vowed to address this problem. He plans to spend $20 million through a PAC he controls to challenge Democratic lawmakers he deems “ineffective” and push back on a “culture of seniority politics.” This could set the stage for painful primaries as older, powerful members square off against younger insurgents clamoring for a change at a time of crisis for the party.
Hogg and his allies have already claimed that 33-year-old New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani’s shocking victory over 67-year-old Andrew Cuomo in the New York City mayoral primary is proof that Democratic voters are hungry for something new—and younger. Hogg, who endorsed Mamdani, wants to replicate his establishment-toppling playbook throughout the country.
There are currently 55 Democratic members of Congress aged 70 or older. They have served an average of 21 years in Congress. Nearly all of them have filed to run for reelection in 2026—a standard box-checking exercise—though only half have confirmed they are actively running again.
Throughout the cycle, Hotline will track which older members are running, which are stepping aside, and which face primary challengers.
Check back for further updates.
