{"id":43272,"date":"2026-08-13T14:51:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T09:51:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=43272"},"modified":"2026-08-13T14:51:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T09:51:03","slug":"older-democrats-walloped-by-midterms-anti-establishment-revolt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=43272","title":{"rendered":"Older Democrats walloped by midterms anti-establishment revolt"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.axios.com\/RSgShIyzYNVU4IK4-F4zlYTGf0w=\/0x639:7026x4591\/1366x768\/2026\/08\/12\/1786572800183.jpeg\" \/><\/p>\n<p>House Democrats who have comfortably held their seats for decades are suddenly finding the ground shifting beneath their feet as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/08\/05\/house-democrats-primary-shri-thanedar-2026\" target=\"_blank\">primary voters revolt<\/a> against the party&#8217;s old guard.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why it matters: <\/strong>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/07\/27\/2026-midterm-democrats-socialist-michigan\" target=\"_blank\">anti-establishment revolution<\/a> that has swept Democratic primaries this year is poised to drastically alter the makeup of the party caucus and Congress as a whole.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<ul>\n<li>Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/08\/12\/john-larson-luke-bronin-connecticut-primary\" target=\"_blank\">John Larson<\/a> (D-Conn.) became the latest victim of this trend: The 78-year-old lost his primary by more than 20 percentage points to 47-year-old former Hartford Mayor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/10\/06\/john-larson-luke-bronin-fundraising-democrats\" target=\"_blank\">Luke Bronin<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Larson emerged as a top target for the Democratic youth brigade after he suffered a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/02\/11\/john-larson-freeze-speech-congress-age\" target=\"_blank\">highly publicized freeze-up<\/a> during a House floor speech last year that he later said was due to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/02\/12\/john-larson-seizure-speech-house-democrat\" target=\"_blank\">complex partial seizure<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>By the numbers: <\/strong>Larson is one of seven House Democrats who have lost their primaries this year \u2014 five of whom are past retirement age.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Reps. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/07\/01\/melat-kiros-colorado-degette-democrats-reaction\" target=\"_blank\">Diana DeGette<\/a> (D-Colo.), 69, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/07\/22\/shri-thanedar-dsa-donavan-mckinney-detroit-mi-13\" target=\"_blank\">Shri Thanedar<\/a> (D-Mich.), 70, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/06\/24\/espaillat-darializa-chevalier-ny-13-results\" target=\"_blank\">Adriano Espaillat<\/a> (D-N.Y.), 71, all lost challenges to younger opponents affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America.<\/li>\n<li>Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/houston\/2026\/05\/27\/houston-christian-menefee-al-green-primary-runoff-results\" target=\"_blank\">Al Green<\/a> (D-Texas), 78, lost to 38-year-old freshman Rep. Christian Menefee (D-Texas) after the two were placed in the same seat by GOP-led mid-decade redistricting.<\/li>\n<li>These losses, along with the ousters of Reps. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/dallas\/2026\/04\/17\/allred-outraises-johnson-in-33rd-district-race\" target=\"_blank\">Julie Johnson<\/a> (D-Texas) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/06\/24\/dan-goldman-brad-lander-mamdani-new-york-primary\" target=\"_blank\">Dan Goldman<\/a> (D-N.Y.), make 2026 tied with 2012 as the worst year for Democratic incumbents in primaries in the 21st century.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What they&#8217;re saying: &#8220;<\/strong>Democratic voters are hungry for a new generation of leaders who can credibly argue they&#8217;ll fight for change,&#8221; Amanda Litman, founder of progressive group Run For Something, told Axios.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bronin&#8217;s defeat of Larson \u2014 who positioned himself as the progressive in the race \u2014 shows that &#8220;&#8216;sick of the status quo&#8217; cuts across ideological lines,&#8221; Litman said.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;We have a generation of younger people who are fed up,&#8221; former DNC Vice Chair David Hogg, whose group Leaders We Deserve has been supporting many of these primary challenges, said in an interview.<\/li>\n<li>Hogg added: &#8220;Generational change and the change of the status quo is the story of the cycle.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The other side: <\/strong>&#8220;200 Democrats are running for reelection in primaries and almost every one of them had a younger challenger,&#8221; Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), 71, told Axios.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Sherman, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/06\/03\/democrats-california-primary-matsui-sherman-gomez\" target=\"_blank\">easily dispatched a well-funded challenge<\/a> from 42-year-old former Biden administration official Jake Levine this year, said he has &#8220;always had a younger challenger, it&#8217;s just not a race that you notice.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;You&#8217;re only going to focus on the five or 10 where the younger challenger got close or won,&#8221; he said.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What we&#8217;re hearing: <\/strong>A senior House Democrat, asked how Sherman survived while Larson lost, said Larson &#8220;didn&#8217;t work [his] district hard&#8221; while Sherman &#8220;worked his district.&#8221;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;People are demanding change,&#8221; acknowledged another senior House Democrat. &#8220;I personally think members should retire at 75.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Between the lines: <\/strong>A clear trend noted by both Hogg and Sherman is that challengers who focused their message on generational change tended to fare worse than those who added left-wing policy positions to the mix.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In addition to Sherman, Reps. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2026\/us\/elections\/results-california-us-house-4-primary.html\" target=\"_blank\">Mike Thompson<\/a> (D-Calif.), 75, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/aug\/09\/ed-case-wins-hawaii-house-primary-election-democrats\" target=\"_blank\">Ed Case<\/a> (D-Hawaii), 73, both put up surprisingly strong performances against well-funded, younger challengers who campaigned as traditional Democrats.<\/li>\n<li>Said Hogg: &#8220;I don&#8217;t think running &#8230; as a generational change candidate and basically saying, &#8216;I&#8217;m young, but I want more of the status quo,&#8217; is not a winning message, obviously.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>One dynamic <\/strong>that kept 2026 from being an even worse year for House Democrats whose old age had become a distinct liability is that a huge cohort of them opted to retire rather than face a grueling primary.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Reps. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/nashville\/2026\/05\/01\/tennessee-special-session-memphis-house-seat\" target=\"_blank\">Steve Cohen<\/a> (D-Tenn.), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/09\/02\/nadler-retire-2026-democrats-ny\" target=\"_blank\">Jerry Nadler<\/a> (D-N.Y.), 79, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/austin\/2025\/08\/21\/lloyd-doggett-texas-redistricting\" target=\"_blank\">Lloyd Doggett<\/a> (D-Texas), 79, as well as Del. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/01\/25\/eleanor-holmes-norton-dc-retirement-campaign\" target=\"_blank\">Eleanor Holmes Norton<\/a> (D-D.C.), 89, had all <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/05\/15\/house-democrats-age-members-reelection-biden\" target=\"_blank\">insisted they were running for reelection<\/a> before bowing to pressure to drop out.<\/li>\n<li>Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) pursued reelection but <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/04\/22\/david-scott-death-georgia-democrat-house-congress\" target=\"_blank\">died at 80-years-old<\/a> just a month before he was set to face several primary challengers.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;Look, Eleanor Holmes Norton, a year ago, wanted to run for reelection, and she had reached a time in life when it was time to retire,&#8221; said Sherman. &#8220;In Congress, you&#8217;re either going to voluntarily retire or you&#8217;re going to lose.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What&#8217;s next: <\/strong>Democrats&#8217; youth guard is hoping for a few more victories this cycle, with Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/boston\/2026\/05\/31\/ed-markey-seth-moulton-massachusetts-senate-democratic-convention-endorsement-2026\" target=\"_blank\">Ed Markey<\/a> (D-Mass.), 80, and Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/boston\/2026\/06\/22\/massachusetts-democrats-incumbents-skip-primary-debates\" target=\"_blank\">Stephen Lynch<\/a> (D-Mass.), 71, both trying to fend off challengers.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hogg said he thinks Markey will prevail over his more moderate challenger, 47-year-old Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/boston\/2026\/07\/01\/markey-moulton-massachusetts-senate-primary-poll-june-2026-uhn-survey\" target=\"_blank\">Seth Moulton<\/a> (D-Mass.), telling Axios: &#8220;I don&#8217;t think Seth Moulton is going to win.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>His group is more excited about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/boston\/2026\/05\/20\/boston-teachers-union-endorsement-patrick-roath-stephen-lynch\" target=\"_blank\">Patrick Roath<\/a>, the progressive 39-year-old attorney running against Lynch, a centrist.<\/li>\n<li>Thompson and Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/04\/23\/david-scott-democrats-death-age-primary-matsui\" target=\"_blank\">Doris Matsui<\/a> (D-Calif.), 81, both have to win November runoffs against their younger Democratic opponents as well. &#8220;Matsui has to worry,&#8221; the first senior House Democrat said.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The bottom line: <\/strong>Just because an older member survived their primary this year doesn&#8217;t mean they will in the 2028 election cycle.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Said Litman: &#8220;I expect that even the challengers who lost will be back for another run in the future \u2014 they&#8217;ve built infrastructure and name recognition that will help them in the future.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>House Democrats who have comfortably held their seats for decades are suddenly finding the ground shifting beneath their feet as primary voters revolt against the party&#8217;s old guard. Why it matters: The anti-establishment revolution that has swept Democratic primaries this year is poised to drastically alter the makeup of the party caucus and Congress as&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.axios.com\/RSgShIyzYNVU4IK4-F4zlYTGf0w=\/0x639:7026x4591\/1366x768\/2026\/08\/12\/1786572800183.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43272\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}