Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly died on Wednesday at the age of 75. He is the eighth Democratic member of Congress to die in office since November 2022.
Connolly's death has reignited a long-simmering debate in the Democratic Party over the advanced age of so many of its members who occupy leadership positions.
It's a fact of life as old as human beings organizing themselves into political entities. Clans, tribes, villages, cities, nations — the primary drama in the politics of groups has always been old vs. young, experience vs. energy and drive.
"Youth will be served," wrote Jack London in his classic short story, "A Piece of Steak." It's a tale of a fighter at the end of his career who must face a young, up-and-coming boxer who has everything the old boxer had in his youth. Actually, his real opponent is life itself and the aging process that has robbed him of his youthful powers.
The youth has power and grace and an endurance that the old boxer realizes he doesn’t possess. Therefore, his strategy will be to conserve his strength, hoping the young fighter will make a mistake and give him an opening for a one-punch knockout.
At the critical moment, the old fighter realizes he doesn't have the strength to finish off the younger boxer. As he's going down to defeat, he laments that if he only had a piece of steak to eat before the bout, he might have won.
It was an illusion, of course. And that's the Democrats' dilemma. It's not youth vs. age that's leading to Democratic losses. It's the ideas they are promoting that the American people are rejecting.
Douglas Wilson, a Democratic strategist based in North Carolina, says “It’s time for a lot of those members who are at an age now that should really consider stepping aside and allowing the millennial generation and even some young Gen Xers around my age to step in, to take the reins."
Does Wilson actually believe that Americans outside of the coastal enclaves where Democrats currently dominate would accept Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her radical ideas?
In interviews with a dozen House Democrats on Wednesday and Thursday, many said the time for those difficult discussions has come.
Most spoke on the condition of anonymity to offer candid thoughts about a highly sensitive topic without facing backlash from their colleagues.
Something that Democrats come up to me [and ask about] all the time, everywhere I go, like, 'You guys need a fresh face. A fresh message and a fresh face,'" said a third House Democrat.
A fourth told Axios it's nothing personal to older members, but "the people don't own the seats, and we just look so f**king out of touch."
"I think this could force a conversation," a fifth House Democrat said of Connolly's passing on Wednesday.
Connolly was the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee. AOC ran for that position before this session of Congress and lost. She's currently sitting on the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Lining up to take Connolly's place are two Democrats who frighten other Democrats. Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a foul-mouthed, radical nutcase who perfectly represents "younger" Democrats.
The current ranking Democratic member on the Oversight Committee is 70-year-old Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts.
Meanwhile, older Democrats aren't going anywhere.
More than half of the 30 House Democrats over 75 years old are running again, and many attest to their vigorous health. A sizable portion of them are facing or are expected to face primary challenges.
Reps. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), 70, and Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.), 76, have expressed interest in running to replace Connolly as the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee.
They may face 47-year-old Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), a member of House Democratic leadership who could try to use his strong relationships with colleagues to overcome his relative lack of seniority.
The bottom line: That this issue is bubbling up to the surface amid new revelations about President Biden's health only gives it more urgency, lawmakers said.
"It's important. It's just more symbolically important. We've got Joe Biden hanging over here ... like a huge albatross," said the third House Democrat.
Will backbench Democrats stage a revolt instead of waiting their turn like Democrats in the past? The House as an institution isn't constructed that way. Overall, the median age of House Democrats is 57.6, while the median age of House Republicans is no better at 57.5. It shouldn't be this way, but the voting public doesn't trust younger politicians.
In the Senate, the median age of all Democrats is 66.0, a bit higher than the median for Republicans (64.5). The Republicans have several capable candidates in their late 40s and early 50s. That's the difference.
Any potential revolt against the aging majority will fail. Older members will continue to be carried out of the House feet first rather than give up the perks and prestige of being a representative.
