Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, Millennials, Gen X increase their ranks in the House, especially among Democrats, The changing face of Congress in 8 charts, Congress is off to a slow start in 2021, much as it has been in previous years, How U.S. As with Democrats, the age gap between new and reelected GOP members is narrower than in the 116th Congress, when continuing Republicans had a median age of 58.4 and new GOP representatives had a median age of 48.9. Get politics and governing updates from Brookings, How generative AI impacts democratic engagement, One more moderate voice for filibuster elimination, Alice Rivlin. CQ and FiscalNotes solutions allow government relations professionals to build relationships with members of the 118th Congress. Senators is currently 64 and the average age of U.S. House members is 58. The average age of the 117th Congress was 59 years old. Both were 87 years old. Among House members, meanwhile, the median age ticked up slightly to 58.9, compared with 58 in the 116th Congress and 58.4 in the 115th. Eleanor Holmes Norton, age 85, is a Democratic House member from the District of Columbia. A recent YouGov poll asks Americans whether they think there should be a maximum age limit for elected officials, and if so, what it should be. Gen Xs share of the House now stands at 38%, up from 33% in the last Congress. The samples were weighted to be representative of the U.S. population, based on gender, age, race, education, U.S. census region, and political party. ii . Republicans hold a slight edge in this generation with 88 members, compared with 78 Democrats. Calculations for the 115th Congress are based on the 435 House members and 100 senators active Jan. 3, 2017, and ages are as of that date. Republicans (64%) are slightly more likely than Democrats (57%) and Independents (60%) to say there should be a maximum age requirement. Boomers share of the House continues to decline to 45%, down from 53% in the 117th Congress though it is still larger than any other generation represented in the chamber. [cat] => [tag_id] => Grace Napolitano, age 86, is a Democratic House member from California. 3. ) [preview] => With a fractured Congress and tensions high, building a personal connection through similar experiences or a connection to your organizations demographic can go a long way with new or returning members of Congress. [update_post_term_cache] => 1 Acquire, educate, and activate supporters to reach your goals.