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Does age matter in elected office?

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When John McCain was nominated for president in 2008, many analysts asked if he was too old to handle the stresses of the office.  McCain was 71.

This year Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, is 70 years-old.  Hillary Clinton will be 69 by the November elections, and is the oldest Democratic nominee for president in the party’s history.

Meanwhile New Hampshire has the oldest legislature in the nation, with an average age of 66.  (The national average is 56.) 

Not many people are talking about candidates’ ages this year, however.  Given advances in medical technology, are voters no longer worried about the age of elected officials?

According to one study, brain function starts to decline as early as age 24, but older individuals can compensate for slower reaction times with knowledge and experience.  There is also huge variation from person to person.  

Ronald Reagan was the oldest person to hold the office of president.  During a presidential debate in 1984, Reagan, age 73, quipped, “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience.” 

However, Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 1994, and historians debate whether he had full cognitive function during his final years in the White House.

Whether or not there is a difference between the cognitive abilities of older and younger candidates, there is often a difference in political opinions.

For example, a recent Granite State Poll found that 77% of young adults favor marijuana legalization, compared to 48% of older residents. 

In another poll, 9% of residents age 65 and older chose taxes as the most important problem facing the granite state, compared to only 1% of residents ages 18 to 34. 

Old age does not guarantee “old” opinions, however.  After all, Bernie Sanders was more popular among millennials than his rival Hillary Clinton, and Sanders was the oldest candidate to run in 2016. 

Do you consider a candidate’s age in the voting booth?  Let us know in the comments.

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