Biden a harbinger of Democrats’ age problem as 2026 primaries loom

BREWER, Maine — Age, it turns out, isn’t just a number.

After President Biden’s political collapse 20 months ago — and the demoralizing losses that followed, including to a 79-year-old Donald Trump — the Democratic Party is wrestling with thorny generational questions this campaign season.

Many voters are looking past familiar names and are increasingly gravitating toward a new generation of leaders, even if they are not entirely sure what surprises lie ahead.

The age question is shaping Democratic primaries nationwide, including in Tennessee and Massachusetts, and here in Maine, where 41-year-old Graham Platner, a former Marine and first-time candidate, is challenging 78-year-old Gov. Janet Mills in the June 9 primary for the chance to face 73-year-old Republican Sen. Susan M. Collins in November.

Ms. Mills has been a fixture in Maine public life for nearly 50 years, serving as a prosecutor, legislator, attorney general and governor. Voters speak warmly of her long record yet still find themselves tempted to roll the dice with Mr. Platner, the political newcomer.

For Mark Hardison, a 70-year-old farmer from Dedham, the generation gap in the race is top of mind. “It’s just age,” he said. “Janet’s got to be 75 or 76 or something like that. It would be good to get somebody young in there.”

His truck sat outside the event, the bed lined with handmade wooden signs, one comparing Mr. Trump and Elon Musk to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

Mr. Hardison’s generational concerns go beyond Ms. Mills. He also is sick of Ms. Collins, saying she has been in Congress “too damn long.” He is convinced the president has lost his grip and called him “demented.”

Inside the event, Kevin, a 64-year-old from Bangor who didn’t want to share his last name, praised Ms. Mills but reached a similar conclusion. “She’s done a good job — she’s been a very good governor,” he said. “But I think it’s time for passing the baton to a younger generation. It’s time to get somebody else in there.”

Steps away, another voter echoed that sentiment. “He’s closer to my age, and I do think there’s a generational difference that matters,” she said of Mr. Platner. “It’s more about age to me.”

Mr. Platner has made generational change central to his pitch, arguing that long-serving leaders in both parties have failed and that it is time for a new kind of politics. “If you’ve been serving for 30 years, and things have gotten worse for your constituents in that time, it is absolutely time to try something different,” Mr. Platner told NBC News in Portland.

He recently picked up an endorsement from Sen. Ruben Gallego, 46, of Arizona, a possible 2028 Democratic presidential contender.

Ms. Mills, meanwhile, has the support of Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, 75, who could face his own 2028 primary challenge from 36-year-old Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another name in the mix for a future presidential run.

Ms. Mills has brushed off the age debate.

“Good Lord. I’m not Joe Biden, for God’s sake,” she recently told CNN. “I’m healthy. I’m me. I get stuff done. People see me at work every day, and they know what I can do. They know that I can deliver, and I have delivered.”

Ms. Mills normally would be the heavy favorite, but early polls show Mr. Platner ahead, boosted by strong support from younger voters.

The generational gap has become a familiar theme.

In New York City, Zohran Mamdani, 34, drubbed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, 67, in the Democratic primary and general election this fall.

In Tennessee, Rep. Steve Cohen, a 76-year-old Democrat first elected in 2006, faces a primary challenge from 31-year-old state Rep. Justin Pearson, who garnered national attention during a gun control fight.

In Massachusetts, Rep. Seth Moulton, 47, is challenging Sen. Edward J. Markey, 79, in the Democratic primary. “I just don’t believe Sen. Markey should be running for another six-year term at 80 years old,” Mr. Moulton has said. Mr. Markey has countered: “It’s not your age; it’s the age of your ideas.”

There is movement on Capitol Hill as well. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 85, and former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, 86, have announced plans to retire, and Rep. James E. Clyburn, 85, is mulling retirement.

The party’s national leaders also are weighing in.

Former President Barack Obama warned last month that older politicians risk losing touch with the voters.

“There is an element of, at some point, you age out,” the 64-year-old Mr. Obama said on the “No Lie” podcast with Brian Tyler Cohen. “You’re not connected directly to the immediate struggles that folks are going through.”