The Democrat announced in May that he will not seek reelection at the end of his current term. Cardin, who will turn 58 in 2024 while in office, stated on the local news website The Baltimore Banner that 'acknowledging that at the end of the next term, I would be 87 years old, is a factor”.
The Oldest Senate in History: Two-Thirds of its Members Surpass Retirement Age
The chamber faces significant aging, with two out of every three members being at least 62 years old. This trend raises questions about generational representation and the need for changes in political dynamics. Leer en español
By: AMAYA VERDE AND JAVIER FIGUEROA
Published 29 NOV 2023 – 10:00 AM EDT
64 out of the 100 Senate members
are of an age equal to or greater than the average retirement age in the United States
62 years old
The estimated average retirement age of workers in the United States
90
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Two out of every three U.S. senators far exceed the age of 62, the average retirement age reported by workers in the United States in 2022, according to the latest Retirement Confidence Survey (RCS) conducted annually by the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI).
The health issues of recently deceased Senator 
Dianne Feinstein, at the age of 90, or the two episodes of paralysis experienced by Senator Mitch McConnell while speaking with journalists, repeatedly raised questions about their ability to carry out their duties as senators due to their advanced age.
The gerontocracy is not exclusive to the U.S. Senate; 
Joe Biden holds the title of the oldest winner of a presidential election at 78 years old. The politician has just turned 81, and age seems to work against him in anticipation of the next elections. An NBC News poll published in April revealed that 70 percent of adults believe the current leader should not run for re-election, and half of the respondents considered age to be a significant factor.
When is someone too old to work?
In 1986, the U.S. Congress unanimously voted to end the practice of mandatory retirement based on age. Until then, companies could require their employees to retire once they reached the age of 70.
The United States Constitution stipulates that no person can be a senator unless they have reached the age of thirty. However, it does not set a maximum age to remain in office. An example is the Republican 
Strom Thurmond, who retired in 2003 at the age of 100 after serving nearly half a century as a senator from South Carolina. Thurmond passed away just six months after retiring.
Today, we are facing the oldest Senate in history. While the average age of members in the first Senate in 1789 was 47 years, the average age of a senator today is around 64 years.
Age of each senator at the beginning of the year
Average age of the senators
Strom
Thurmond
Charles
Grassley
100 years old
80
64
60
47
40
20
0
1789
1850
1950
2023
Age of each senator at the beginning of the year
Average age of the senators
Strom
Thurmond
Charles
Grassley
100 years old
80
64
60
47
40
20
0
1789
1850
1950
2023
Strom
Thurmond
Age of each senator at the beginning of the year
Charles
Grassley
Average age of the senators
100 years old
80
64
60
47
40
20
0
1789
1800
1850
1900
1950
2000
2023
Strom
Thurmond
Age of each senator at the beginning of the year
Charles
Grassley
Average age of the senators
100 years old
80
64
60
47
40
20
0
1789
1800
1850
1900
1950
2000
2023
Kevin Munger, a Political Science and Social Data Analysis professor at Penn State University, emphasizes in his book 'Generation Gap: Why Baby Boomers Still Dominate American Politics and Culture' that while gerontocracies may have some merit, the current electoral system favors seniority, rewarding longevity in Congress and allowing high rates of reelection.
To date, only six senators have publicly announced that they will not seek reelection in 2024 out of the 33 senators whose terms expire on January 3, 2025. These include Democrats Debbie Stabenow (Michigan), Ben Cardin (Maryland), Tom Carper (Delaware) and Joe Manchin (West Virginia), as well as former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (Utah) and conservative Mike Braun (Indiana).
Senators who have announced that they will
NOT seek reelection in 2024
Charles Grassley
The oldest senator
Age
90
90 years old
Tom
Carper
Ben
Cardin
76
79
80
Mitt
Romney
Joe
Manchin
76
76
76
70
Debbie
Stabenow
Mike
Braun
69
73
US average
retirement age
(62)
60
50
Each point
represents
a Senator
40
Jon Ossoff
The youngest senator
30
36
Senators who have announced that they will
NOT seek reelection in 2024
Charles Grassley
The oldest senator
Age
90
90 years old
Tom
Carper
Ben
Cardin
76
79
80
Mitt
Romney
Joe
Manchin
76
76
76
70
Debbie
Stabenow
Mike
Braun
69
73
The average
retirement age
in US (62)
60
50
Each point represents
a Senator
40
Jon Ossoff
The youngest senator
30
36
Senators who have announced that they will NOT seek reelection in 2024
Charles Grassely
The oldest senator
Age
90
90 years old
Tom Carper
Ben Cardin
80
80
76
Joe Manchin
Mitt Romney
76
76
70
Debbie Stabenow
Mike Braun
73
69
US average retirement age (62)
60
50
Each point represents
a senator
40
Jon Ossoff
The youngest senator
30
36
Senators who have announced that they will NOT seek reelection in 2024
Charles Grassely
The oldest senator
Age
90
90 years old
Tom Carper
Ben Cardin
80
80
76
Joe Manchin
Mitt Romney
76
76
70
Debbie Stabenow
Mike Braun
73
69
US average retirement age (62)
60
50
Each point represents
a Senator
40
Jon Ossoff
The youngest senator
30
36
Professor Munger explains that 'baby boomers are the largest and most powerful generation in the history of the United States. Due to their prominence in building the dominant post-war institutions that still govern our society, they wield immense formal power. By virtue of their large numbers, unprecedented economic success, and the timing of medical advancements, they also hold disproportionate electoral power.'
Why are they retiring?
Most of the senators who have decided not to seek reelection aim to make way for new generations. In the case of Joe Manchin and Mike Braun, their retirement is geared towards continuing their political careers, with Manchin not ruling out a presidential run, while Braun aims to become governor in his state.
79
Ben Cardin
Senator from Maryland since 2007
76
Mitt Romney
Senator from Utah since 2019
With these words, the 76-year-old Republican Mitt Romney announced on September 13th that he will not seek reelection when his current term as senator from Utah ends in early 2025.
76
Tom Carper
Senator from Delaware since 2001
In May, Senator Tom Carper from Delaware joined the list of representatives who will not seek reelection in 2024. The Democrat, who has been in office since 2001, stated in a press conference in Wilmington (Delaware) that he will continue working '60 hours a week' until then. Tom Carper has never lost an election in his more than 40-year career.
73
Debbie Stabenow
Senator from Michigan since 2001
“Inspired by a new generation of leaders, I have decided to pass the torch in the U.S. Senate. I am announcing today that I will not seek re-election and will leave the U.S. Senate at the end of my term on January 3, 2025”
The senator recalled in her statement that when she ran for the state legislature in 1978, there were only eight women in the House of Representatives and none in the state Senate, nor in major state offices: “This year there are 44 women serving in the State House and 15 in the Senate! Women hold the top three statewide elected offices, and we have the first female Majority Leader in the State Senate!”.
69
Mike Braun
Senator from Indiana from 2019
Mike Braun will not seek reelection as senator from Indiana in 2024. The Republican will not leave the political arena, as he will run for the position of governor in the same state.
76
Joe Manchin
Senator from West Virginia since 2010
Joe Manchin will not seek reelection in West Virginia in 2024. The Democrat may run for the presidency as a centrist option between Biden and a Republican Party dominated by Donald Trump. In a video shared on his social media, Manchin did not rule out the idea: 'What I'm going to do is travel around the country and talk (to people) to see if there is interest in creating a movement to mobilize the middle and unite Americans.'
Source: This analysis has been conducted based on a manually curated database by volunteer editors from GovTrack, ProPublica, MapLight, FiveThirtyEight, and others, as well as automatically from various sources, including GovTrack.us; Congressional Biographical Directory; Congressional Committees, Historical Standing Committees data set by Garrison Nelson and Charles Stewart; Martis’s 'The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress', via Rosenthal, Howard L., and Keith T. Poole. United States Congressional Roll Call Voting Records, 1789-1990; The Sunlight Labs Congress API; The Library of Congress's THOMAS website; C-SPAN's Congressional Chronicle.
Images:
AP, Getty and official photos from the profiles of the senators.
AP, Getty and official photos from the profiles of the senators.