A center-left group of young Democrats recently retracted a post that criticized the age of Democratic California Rep. Maxine Waters after receiving backlash from within its ranks.
Majority Democrats were critical of Waters’ efforts to continue leading the House Financial Services Committee, as reported by Politico. The objection arose after Rep. Ritchie Torres from New York raised concerns about the message with Rep. Jake Auchincloss from Massachusetts, who chairs Majority Democrats.
The original post stated, “While we respect all that Maxine Waters has accomplished for her district and for America over her 88 years, we believe Democrats shouldn’t support a gerontocracy that voters have consistently rejected,” a sentiment captured in a screenshot shared by Politico.
Auchincloss, who was not aware of the post prior to its release and is not involved in the social media decisions for Majority Democrats, agreed that removing the post was the right choice.
A letter of support for Waters as the committee’s leader was signed by the majority of Democrats on the House Financial Services Committee. However, she is facing challenges from fellow Democratic Reps. Sean Casten and Bill Foster from Illinois.
Waters, now 88, has been in Congress since January 1991, following her first election in November 1990. She’s been married since 1956.
In July, Majority Democrats put out a video advocating for term limits on committees, which included a photo of Waters alongside several other older Democrats, but notably did not mention her specifically.
BREAKING NEWS: The vast majority of HOUSE DEMS on the Financial Services Committee have sent a letter endorsing MAXINE WATERS to return as the party’s top Democrat. Non-signers: Casten and Foster (running against Waters) and Sam Liccardo. (@PunchbowlNews text subscribers had the scoop first)
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 20, 2026
This group, established in 2025, boasts several prominent Democrats, including James Talarico, a Texas Senate candidate, and Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, as outlined on its website.
Recent elections saw younger Democrats unseat older incumbents across various states, with Democratic Reps. Diana DeGette, Shri Thanedar, John Larson, and Adriano Espaillat all losing to candidates significantly younger than themselves during the 2026 primaries.
For instance, Larson, aged 78 and a member of Congress since 1999, lost his primary by more than 20 points to Luke Bronin, a 47-year-old former mayor. Similarly, DeGette, aged 69, lost to 29-year-old Melat Kiros, a Democratic Socialists of America candidate, in Colorado’s first congressional district.
On the Republican side, incumbents retained a larger portion of seats, though some were ousted by voters, particularly those not aligned with President Donald Trump, who turned 80 this past June. Notably, Rep. Thomas Massie from Kentucky lost to 68-year-old Ed Gallrein following significant pro-Israel lobbying efforts. The Baby Boomer demographic largely backed Gallrein, while younger voters leaned toward Massie.
In contrast, 79-year-old Rep. Hal Rogers from Kentucky successfully defended his primary against four challengers in May.
Moreover, in the Democratic primaries, 80-year-old Sen. Ed Markey from Massachusetts defeated 47-year-old Rep. Seth Moulton on September 1.
