Democrats grapple with age of candidates during primaries

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Democratic incumbents in Congressional primaries across the country are fending off challengers calling for younger, and sometimes more progressive, lawmakers.

The Democratic primary election for Connecticut’s first Congressional district highlights how age has become a factor in primaries across the country. Current first district Rep. John Larson is running for his fifteenth term at age 78. He faces former Hartford mayor Luke Bronin, who is 47, on the ballot August 11.

In a sit-down interview with Gray DC, Larson said he is running for re-election because he wants to see his efforts to adjust Social Security benefits through.

“I’m running because I’m fulfilling a commitment I made to the people that I grew up with that I would make sure that Social Security, that hasn’t been adjusted in more than 55 years, gets the adjustment that it needs,” Larson said.

Bronin argues the Democratic Party needs more energy to effectively go toe-to-toe with President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.

“I think this race is about energy and effectiveness and building a Democratic Party that is strong enough to defeat Donald Trump,” said Bronin.

Larson would be chair of House Social Security Ways and Means Committee if Democrats retake the House. He said there are advantages to electing an older congressman who has seniority in the party.

“If you’re coming to Congress for the first time, you start at the bottom and work your way up,” Larson explained. “But if you have the opportunity to send someone who’s going to be a chairman, that means your voice in your district is amplified.”

PASSING THE TORCH

Meanwhile, Bronin, 47, is well above the average age of the U.S. workforce, 41. Bronin would be in the 100 youngest members of Congress if he served in the current session. Gray DC Correspondent Emma Wulfhorst asked him what those numbers tell him about the state of Congress.

“I respect anyone that served in Congress for decades, but I think we would be so much stronger as a Democratic Party if we had more leaders that recognized that part of leadership is knowing when to pass the torch,” said Bronin.

The conversation around “passing the torch” can be difficult for politicians to face. It’s been two years since former President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 election, due mostly to age-related concerns.

So, how will Larson know when it’s time?

“Well, I think everyone does, when you reach that point I think it becomes pretty obvious,” Larson told Gray DC. “And to walk away from what you promised to people for improvements that haven’t taken place in 55 years… this [Social Security] bill is going to be taken up in the first 100 days. I couldn’t walk away from that, and I don’t think anyone else could either.”

A DARK REALITY

As Baby Boomers start to age out of the workforce, 40% of the House are Baby Boomers or older, including 14 members of the Silent Generation. The average age of the 431 voting members of the House of Representatives is 58.6.

Democrats are bullish on their chances to retake the House and break up Washington’s Republican trifecta. With that comes the reality of slim majorities — five members of the House died this session, including four Democrats who were 70 or older. If the current party lines were flipped, four deaths would have cost Democrats the majority.

By the end of the current session in December, 95 voting members of the House will be 70 or older. Of that group, 75 ran, or are currently running, for re-election. The oldest members running for re-election are Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA). Both won their primaries in safe districts, setting them up to be 91 and 90, respectively, at the end of their next term.

Gray DC asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries if there are honest conversations in the Democratic caucus about the grim, but realistic scenario, of member deaths costing Democrats a potential majority.

“Well, we’re going to take back control of the House of Representatives,” Jeffries said. “All of these questions about organizing into the future, in my view, are premature because we have to get to the 218 number. It’s not going to be easy, right? No one’s going to give it to us. We’ve got to go take it in a way that is consistent with the values of the American people.”

UP TO THE VOTERS

Ultimately, voters have the final say about whether a member should return to Capitol Hill. A handful of older Democrats have lost their primaries to younger, and often more progressive, candidates this cycle. Rep. Shri Thanedar, 71, recently lost his Michigan thirteenth district primary. Other incumbents who saw similar fates include New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat, 72, and Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette, 69.

One Hartford voter, who gave the name Deborah, said she is close in age to Larson, which helped inform her decision to support Bronin.

“Age and experience is extremely valuable,” Deborah said. “But I think that looking on a case-by-case basis, whether it’s local representation, Congress, the Senate, and certainly the presidency, I think it really is now time to take a look at, who do we have of the younger generation, who’s got the commitment, the dedication, the morality, the positions that it takes to maybe take more of the helm.”

The Connecticut primary is August 11. All five members of Connecticut’s House delegation, three of whom are 70 or older, are running for re-election.