Since January, there have been five all-night sessions in the Senate and multiple all-nighters in the House. Voters are dissatisfied. Partisanship is high.
But the oldest lawmakers of the 119th Congress aren’t sprinting for the doors to retire. In fact, the vast majority are running for reelection.
“No matter what age you are, if you’re in good shape and you can do what it takes in order to be involved in this kind of effort, then you should do it,” Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters, 87, told NOTUS.
There are 50 members of Congress ages 75 and older who are up for reelection next year. Of those, nearly 70% say they have plans to run again, according to interviews, public comments and official statements. Just over 70% of the lawmakers in this group are Democrats.
Lawmakers are not just staying on the Hill well past the conventional retirement age for the sheer enjoyment of running the country. Republicans feel pressure from President Donald Trump, leadership and campaign committees to stay in their seats and retain their majorities in the House and Senate. Democrats feel pressure to stay and win back the majority — and fight against the Trump administration in the meantime.
“People are so scared and so upset, and they want someone who knows what’s going on,” Democratic Rep. Lois Frankel, 77, said. “They want someone who’s going to fight, and they trust me.”
“It’s hard to turn your back when all this is going on,” Frankel added.
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, 80, who has plans to run again, told NOTUS that what keeps her going is “fighting this injustice, fighting the cruelest administration I’ve ever seen, and trying to stand up for and protect as many rights of people that I can.”
The debate over age has raged primarily in the Democratic Party. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who died in office at 90 years old in 2023, had an extended absence due to illness and was heavily aided by staff toward the end of her life. Former President Joe Biden, now 82, was pressured to step aside as the party’s nominee in 2024 due to questions over his mental agility and ability to govern. And in the eight months Congress has been in session, three House Democrats have died in office: Reps. Sylvester Turner, 70; Raúl Grijalva, 77; and Gerry Connolly, 75.
Younger politicos have been pushing to shake up the system, insisting their voices are missing in Congress and on committees as older leaders stick it out. Those pushes have been met with fierce resistance: Former Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg’s plan to oust older incumbents by backing younger primary challengers within the party infuriated other DNC members.
In June, Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, 37, introduced an amendment during an appropriations markup that would have developed a standard of conduct “as it relates to a Member of Congress’s ability to perform the duties of office unimpeded by significant irreversible cognitive impairment.”
“This is not about age,” she said at the time. “Some of our most valuable, sharp members of Congress are older. We want a representative body that reflects the full spectrum of the American experience, all ages.”
The committee, with an average age of just over 60, voted down the amendment.
Older Democratic lawmakers said they feel good about remaining in office. Democratic Rep. Sanford Bishop, 78, told NOTUS he’s running again “as long as my health is good and my constituents are happy.”
“I enjoy what I do,” Bishop said.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, 82, the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, told NOTUS she still loves being a congresswoman and has no plans to stop.
“It has become more partisan, and it’s unlike when I first came, but this is the place where you can really provide opportunity for people. This is the advocacy organization for people in this nation,” DeLauro said.
In the Senate, Democratic Sens. Ed Markey, 79, and Jack Reed, 75, plan to run in 2026 for six-year terms.
“It’s a great privilege to serve the people of Rhode Island, and in this moment, our democracy and economy are truly under stress, and I think I can help,” Reed told NOTUS.
Former Rep. Fred Upton, a 72-year-old Michigan Republican, summed up what often motivates older lawmakers to stay: winning and staying in power.
“For Democrats, there’s real potential to be a majority after the next election, which is why the redistricting fight is front page across the country now,” Upton told NOTUS over the phone while on a fishing trip in Alaska. “There’s a real difference between being in the majority or the minority.”
“They’re looking at the sun coming up for them after the ’26 election,” he added. “And the Republicans, there’s a lot of pressure by the NRCC and others, and it’s a lot easier when you have an incumbent running versus an open seat.”
Older Republican lawmakers told NOTUS they want to stay and see through the president’s policies.
“We’re moving in the right direction,” Republican Rep. Daniel Webster, 76, said. “It’d be nice to be here as it goes.”
Rep. Mike Kelly, 77, texted NOTUS that he’s going to run again and is “looking to serve with President Trump.” He still “very much” enjoys doing it, he wrote.
Ask older lawmakers about why they stay in the job and many said they simply don’t see a reason to leave.
“I just hate it,” 82-year-old Republican Sen. Jim Risch joked to NOTUS. “No, I do enjoy this. It’s exhilarating. It’s always a mental challenge, but I enjoy the work, and that’s why I’m here.” He said he plans to run for another six-year term in the next election.
Republican Rep. Tom Cole, 76, also has plans to run again, and he said he’s still having “fun.”
When NOTUS asked Republican Rep. John Carter, 83, whether he still enjoys working in the House, he responded, “Why wouldn’t you?” Carter indicated to NOTUS that he may run again, but “I’m waiting on my wife’s seal of approval.”
Rep. Hal Rogers, an 87-year-old Republican, has “every intention” of running next year, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader. Rep. Virginia Foxx, 82, announced in May she was running again. And Reps. Roger Williams, 75, and Jack Bergman, 78, have already told news outlets they will be seeking office again.
Not everyone is so eager to commit. Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer, 86, declined to share his election plans with NOTUS, but said that he feels “a strong passion” for the job.
“It’s motivating me to stay in the fight,” he said of the Trump administration.
Another Democrat, Rep. Bobby Scott, 78, told NOTUS he’ll decide whether he’s running “when it’s reelection time. This is not an election year. You can assume that incumbents are running for reelection unless they give an indication otherwise.”
A spokesperson for Rep. Nancy Pelosi, 85, declined to comment on whether the former House speaker is running next year and if she still enjoys her work in the House. Rep. Jim Clyburn, 85, would not tell NOTUS his plans for next year’s election, but he said his children are his motivation for staying in Congress.
It’s unclear whether Democrat Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who at 88 is the oldest member of the House, will run for reelection. She has said two separate times that she was running for reelection; both times, her office walked those statements back.
Several older lawmakers in both parties have already announced their retirement after this Congress comes to an end. Democratic 83-year-old Rep. Danny Davis announced in July he’s not seeking reelection after serving nearly three decades in Congress. Rep. Dwight Evans, 71, announced his retirement in June after suffering a stroke last year. Rep. Ralph Norman, 72, is retiring from Congress, but not politics; he is running for South Carolina governor.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett, 78, told reporters that he will retire if Texas’ redrawn congressional map — which would pit him against 36-year-old fellow Democratic Rep. Greg Casar — survives court challenges.
Also retiring are Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, 78, and several lawmakers in their 80s: Rep. Jan Schakowsky and Sen. Dick Durbin, both Democrats, as well as Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell.
Upton, the former representative, didn’t share any regrets about his own decision to retire.
“Some people want to be carried out in a box. Not me,” Upton said from his fishing trip. “I want to enjoy days like today. I have a fifth grandchild coming. I got a lot of buddies, and I’ve been enjoying retirement big time.”