It is disturbing that the US Senate now has more Octogenarian members than ever before, even though some are retiring:
Dick Durbin of Illinois
Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire
Mitch McConnell of Kentucky
However, the following Octogenarians remain in the Senate:
Peter Welch of Vermont 79–will reach 80 in May 2027
Ed Markey of Massachusetts 80
Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut 80
Angus King of Maine 82
Jim Risch of Idaho 83
Bernie Sanders of Vermont 84
Chuck Grassley of Iowa 92
Markey and Risch are running for reelection in 2026, while the others come up for reelection in 2028, except King and Sanders who have their seats until 2030.
Interestingly, of these ten Senators listed above, two are Independents (King and Sanders); three are Republicans (McConnell, Risch, Grassley); and the remaining five are Democrats (Durbin, Shaheen, Welch, Markey, Blumenthal).
Also of interest, six of the ten Senators are from New England—Shaheen, Welch, Markey, Blumenthal, King, and Sanders—with that section of the nation having the overall oldest average age population.
It is essential that a younger generation of US Senators are elected to the chamber, and there are many inspiring potential Senators who are in their 30s, 40s, and early 50s, as outlined in this blogger’s entry on June 30, 2026!