When the current Congress was convened in January, there were nearly 120 members who were 70 or older — 86 in the House, including nonvoting delegates, and 33 in the Senate. This number, which is unmatched in modern history, included 14 octogenarians in the House, five in the Senate, and 91-year-old Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa.
Seniority and longevity have long been rewarded, both at the polls and internally within the two major parties. Even so, some of the country’s oldest lawmakers have faced scrutiny in recent years over age and fitness to serve after very public episodes of what looked to be disorientation or decline.
The 70-and-older cohort makes up more than a fifth of the members of Congress. By the time the legislative body adjourns in January of 2027, if every current member stays in office, there will be closer to 140 members aged 70 years or older across both chambers.
The contentious matter of age is particularly acute among Democrats in the House, who had nearly double the members 70 or older that the Republicans did at the beginning of this term. The gap between the Democratic and the Republican Parties is smaller when looking at median age, which is around 57 years for both parties. In the Senate, the median age is 64 for Republicans and 66 for Democrats.
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Author: Dillon B
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