Former Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill issued statements claiming that her party is now dealing with a large number of aging lawmakers just as many voters start to prepare to head out to the ballot boxes for this coming midterm election in November.
McCaskill issued her statements as part of a panel discussion hosted by NBC on the Sunday edition of their show, “Meet the Press.”
“But I will tell you I do think the Democratic Party is struggling with an issue that is real,” McCaskill stated. “All of our leadership — and I say this as somebody who’s ancient — you know, a lot of old folks are running the Democratic Party now in every part of the Democratic Party,”
WATCH: Fmr. Sen. @clairecmc (D-Mo.) says the Democratic Party has an age problem.
"I say this as someone who's ancient — a lot of old folks are running the Democratic party. … Young people are going to be really important to us in 2024." pic.twitter.com/KTARstktQ2
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) September 11, 2022
McCaskill also spoke about looking towards the 2024 elections, highlighting the extreme importance of getting more younger Americans involved with and moved into positions of party leadership.
“I think the Democratic Party will benefit from really doing some navel-gazing about how can we get more young people to the forefront because young people are going to be really important to us in 2024,” she stated.
McCaskill’s statements took place just after a Thursday poll was released by CBS News that highlighted a total of 73% of respondents standing in support of age limits for all elected officials. A total of 18% of people agreed with an age limit of 80 years old, while 40% agreed with an age limit of 70.
Old Uncle Joe, who currently sits at the ripe old age of 79, would take the title of the oldest person ever re-elected if he manages to squeeze out another win from the 2024 elections. He was also made to deal with growing concerns about his cognitive health since he took office.
A group of over fifty-three GOP lawmakers banded together via a letter back in July that was headed up by former White House physician Ronny Jackson calling for Biden to take a comprehensive cognitive exam and share the results with Americans.
“While you underwent your annual physical exam on November 19, 2021, you either did not face a cognitive test or those results were withheld from the public,” expressed Jackson. “White House Physician Kevin O’Connor, D.O., attested to you being ‘fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency’ in a very superficial, and purely physical manner; however, we are worried about your mental abilities.”
Over in the Senate, both sides of the aisle are dealing with the issue of aging leaders. Seven senators are at least 80 years old, with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) the oldest at 89, followed by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), both at 88 years old.
It is even worse in the House with over ten members of the 117th Congress registered at over 80 years of age. Nine of that ten were listed as Democrats.