WASHINGTON -

While a US president cannot and will not be allowed to remain in office for more than 8 years if re-elected for a second term, members of the House of Representatives and Senate at the federal level can remain in office for unlimited terms, years, and even decades as long as they are re-elected.

For this reason, the United States is witnessing the phenomenon of some members of Congress remaining in office for long periods, in some cases reaching 60 years. This phenomenon is linked to the high age of many American politicians, their electoral competition and their unwillingness to retire early.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is 82 years old and will run in the upcoming congressional elections (Reuters)

Very high ages

According to the federal census data for 2020, the average age of an American citizen is 38 years, and the average age among American politicians is rising significantly, with the average age of members of the House of Representatives reaching 58 years, and the average age of Senators 63 years.

President Joe Biden will turn 80 in a few months and has announced his intention to run for president in 2024.

Representative Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, is 82 years old, and has represented a county in California for 36 years, and will run in the Congressional elections next November, while the Senate Republican leader, Senator Mitch McConnell, is 81 years old and has been serving in the House for 37 years as a representative of the state. Kentucky, and re-elected for a new 6-year term in 2020.

The Democratic Majority Leader in the House of Representatives, Representative Steny Hoyer, aged 82, has represented a county in Maryland for 42 years, and his age is equivalent to Representative James Claiborne, the Democratic Majority Coordinator in the House, and has represented a county in South Carolina for 30 years.

They are not the oldest among their peers, as some other senators are close to 90 years old. Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama is 88 years old, during which he served 35 years in the Senate, the same age as his colleague Chuck Grassley of Iowa, as he represented her for a period 41 years old, while Senator Dianne Feinstein, 89, has represented California for 30 years.

Senator Strom Thurmond (seated) died at the age of 100 and continues to serve as a senator and contemporary of 11 US presidents (Reuters)

Retirement does not come much

Twenty years ago, Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina died at the age of 100, making him the oldest among those who continued to work in politics at this advanced age throughout American history and throughout his history as a senator, which began in 1948, and the senator contemplated 11 American presidents.

The pleas of many close to the senator who considered him mentally unfit for service did not prompt the repeated lapses of memory almost constantly, which made it difficult for him to engage in long discussions.

Several factors push some members of Congress to stay in office for decades as long as they are re-elected, and on top of them comes their survival with the continuous improvement in health care and the development of disease-fighting methods.

And an American doctor who spoke to Al Jazeera - who asked not to be identified - considered that many of these politicians believe that their retirement will expedite their death, and that their continuation to work protects them from the deterioration of their health and stay preoccupied with life and political matters that activate them mentally and intellectually.

The longest terms of representation for members of the House of Representatives and the Senate were as follows:

  • Representative John Dingell, a Democrat, has represented a Michigan district for 60 years in the House of Representatives.

  • Senator Robert Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia, 57 years in the House and then the Senate.

  • Senator Carl Hayden, Democrat of Arizona, 56 years in the House of Representatives and then the Senate.

  • Senator Daniel Inoue, Democrat of Hawaii, 53, House of Representatives and then Senate.

  • Representative Jimmy Whitten, Democrat of Mississippi, 53, of the House of Representatives.

The late Senator John Dingell (C) awarded former President Obama the Medal of Freedom after serving 60 years as a member of Congress (Reuters)

Why do voters vote for the elderly candidate?

Undoubtedly, the long periods of political work provide important experiences for its owner, but the administration of the United States in large part by leaders suffering from symptoms of old age would - no matter how well-intentioned - have a negative impact on the future of the country.

The increase in the turnout of the elderly to vote in electoral seasons in greater proportions than that of the younger groups makes it easier to elect elderly candidates, and the possibility of re-election gives great advantages to candidates when facing younger candidates who are not popular in the state.

During the 2020 elections, those aged between 65 and 74 years voted by 76%, while the percentage of those aged between 18 and 24 years was only 51.4, and older people trust candidates who are similar in age and life experiences, and most importantly, elderly candidates understand the importance of issues , such as Medicare, State Social Security, and the future of prescription drug prices for these groups.

Senator Robert Byrd (left) served as a member of the House and Senate for 57 years (Reuters)

Maximum tenure years

An independent movement has taken root within American civil society with the goal of setting term limits or maximum tenures for political office, as is the case with the American president himself.

Over the past decades, the movement has tried to press for its goal, and it reached its climax between 1992 and 1994, during which time 17 US states initiated the adoption of laws and constitutional amendments within the states that set time limits and limited terms for state representatives in Congress.

Repeated opinion polls indicate that there is a popular desire that exceeds 66% among Americans in support of fixing terms for political office.

The legal dispute reached the Supreme Constitutional Court, which ruled in 1995 that these laws were unconstitutional for violating the US Constitution, and the court ruled by 5 votes to 4 that state governments cannot limit the term of office of members of the federal government, including its representatives in Congress.