Democrat Voters Replacing Old Guard Far Faster Than GOP

Younger Democratic candidates have defeated older incumbents in primaries across the U.S., while older Republicans have mostly held onto their seats.

The younger candidates largely defeated long-time incumbents on the Democratic side who were past retirement age. While Democratic Reps. Diana DeGette of Colorado, Shri Thanedar of Michigan, John Larson of Connecticut and Adriano Espaillat of New York, who are all past retirement age, lost their races to challengers decades younger than them, older Republicans have had fewer problems holding onto power.

Larson, a 78-year-old who has served in Congress since 1999, lost his primary by more than 20 percentage points to 47-year-old former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin. He suffered a highly publicized freeze-up on the House floor in 2025, later stating that he suffered a complex partial seizure.

DeGette, Thanedar and Espaillat lost their races to candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which is on pace to field its largest congressional delegation in history. Democratic Texas Rep. Al Green, 78, lost his primary to 38-year-old Texas Rep. Christian Menefee after the two were forced to compete for the same seat by redistricting.

“Democratic voters are hungry for a new generation of leaders who can credibly argue they’ll fight for change,” Amanda Litman, founder of progressive group Run For Something, told Axios.

Younger voters were largely responsible for the DSA and further-left candidates’ victories. White, college-educated voters living in densely-populated and higher-income areas also supported DSA candidates.

Thanedar, 71, lost to Democratic Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney 51.1% to 48.1% in the Aug. 4 primary. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, the 13th Congressional District Democratic Party Organization and Democratic Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson endorsed him.

DeGette, 69, lost to 29-year-old DSA candidate Melat Kiros in Colorado’s first congressional district.

Republican incumbents have held onto more of their House seats, though pro-establishment and older voters helped oust incumbents that did not align with President Donald Trump, who turned 80 in June. Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie lost his race to 68-year-old congressional candidate Ed Gallrein after the pro-Israel lobby spent over $9 million in mostly independent expenditures to oust him. The Baby Boomer generation overwhelmingly voted for Gallrein, while younger voters supported Massie.

Republican Kentucky Rep. Hal Rogers, a 79-year-old incumbent, won his primary in May against four challengers. He has served in Congress since 1981. Republican Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, 84, has missed several votes due to serious health issues, though he is retiring in January. Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, chair of the high-profile Judiciary Committee, will turn 93 in September.

Republican Idaho Sen. Jim Risch is 83 years old, and Jim Boozman of Arkansas is 76. In the House, Republican North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx is 83 years old and chairs the Rules Committee. Republican New Jersey Rep. Christopher Smith and Texas Rep. John Carter are over 70 years old.

Republican Alabama Reps. Robert Aderholt and Mike Rogers won their primaries. Aderholt is 61 years old and was first elected in 1996, while Rogers is 68 and has been in Congress since 2003.

In Wisconsin, though, 26-year-old Michael Alfonso won his Republican primary with 48.9% of the vote, notching a rare win for young Republican candidates.

Some older House Democrats faced pressure to drop out and ultimately did not run for reelection. These Democrats included Jerry Nadler of New York, Steve Cohen of Tennessee, Lloyd Doggett of Texas and Eleanor Holmes Norton. Cohen faced a primary challenge from 31-year-old Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson, and ultimately dropped out after Tennessee redrew his district’s lines.