Summary
The 119th U.S. Congress is the third oldest in history, with an average member age of 58.9 years.
The Senate’s average age is 63.8, while the House is 57.7. Baby boomers still dominate the Senate, where nearly half are 65 or older, but Gen X now holds more seats than boomers in the House for the first time.
Millennials make up a small portion, while Maxwell Frost, 27, remains the only Gen Z member.
In total, 20 members of Congress are 80 or older, contrasting with a U.S. median age of 39.1.
I’d be all for competency tests put on by some unbiased group, although I don’t have a lot of hope for that not being politicized quickly, much like seating judges…
While I grow rather tired of some of the obvious ageism and the attendant absurd and vapid commentary that seems to come along with it - e.g., “what does politician X over age Y know about running this country?” (truly, LOL) - I do think that having staff prop up someone for multiple terms should not be a thing. Someone skipping off to be in assisted living should not be possible, either.
I just think setting some arbitrary upper age range is kind of dumb given that not everyone ages at the same rate whether it’s through genes, diet, lifestyle, or exercise…