Democratic Party Faces Growing Challenges Amid Aging Leadership

The Democratic Party is increasingly confronted with the pressing issue of its aging leadership.

Concerns over President Joe Biden’s cognitive health continue to fuel debate. Recently, in the California governor’s race, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa accused fellow Democrats Kamala Harris and Xavier Becerra of concealing the president’s declining fitness for office.

Villaraigosa demanded transparency, questioning what Harris and Becerra knew, when they knew it, and why they remained silent. His remarks were prompted by revelations in a new book detailing efforts by Biden’s inner circle to obscure his mental and physical deterioration. Villaraigosa called for an apology to the American public from both officials.

While Villaraigosa, himself 72, may be leveraging these concerns for political advantage, his critique highlights a significant issue. Last week underscored that the Democratic Party’s reliance on senior figures extends beyond the presidency. The House of Representatives was recently shaken by the death of Congressman Gerry Connolly.

Connolly, aged 75 and representing Northern Virginia, had been battling esophageal cancer since shortly after his re-election last November. Despite his illness, he won a pivotal contest to become the leading Democrat on the Oversight Committee—a race seen as a test of the party’s seniority system for committee leadership. He announced in late April that his cancer had returned and that he would not seek re-election. He passed away less than a month later.

His death sparked sorrow but also raised questions about its impact on the narrowly divided House. Political analysts noted that Connolly’s absence could affect critical votes, such as recent deliberations over major legislation.

Connolly was the third Democratic member of the House to pass away in recent months, following the deaths of Raúl Grijalva and Sylvester Turner, both in their seventies. All three seats remain vacant. Since November 2022, eight members of Congress have died in office—all Democrats, averaging 75 years of age.