An area lawmaker is expressing his concern over aging politicians that may be beyond their years when it comes to being effective at their jobs. Last week Senate minority leader, 81 year-old Republican Mitch McConnell, appeared to freeze up during a press conference before he was led away from the podium by his colleagues. Similar concerns were raised the next day, Senator Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat who is 90 years old, required coaching from colleagues to vote during a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting. Haverstraw supervisor Howard Phillips, also a Democrat, says age isn’t necessarily the best factor to determine whether one should remain in office or not…
The Sacramento Bee reported that Feinstein said earlier this year she would not run for re-election next year. President Joe Biden is the oldest to hold that position at age 80, and he’s planning to run for re-election next year. His likely opponent is 77 year-old former president Donald Trump. On the other hand, 53 year-old Pennsylvania senator, Democrat Jon Fetterman, has battled depression since taking office in January, and suffered a stroke while campaigning last year. A 2022 CBS News/YouGov survey found 73% of Americans support some form of maximum age limit for elected officials. A recent survey of registered voters found 83% in support of a constitutional amendment to establish term limits in Congress. A vote in the House in 1995 on a term limits amendment was easily defeated by a 3-to-1 margin.