An 86-year-old Congress member explains why he won’t retire

Rep. James Clyburn announces he is running for a 18th term on March 12, 2026, during a press conference at the South Carolina Democratic Party. | Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images The gerontocracy is real: The median senator is 64 years old, and 20 members of Congress are over 80. One legal scholar called it the “old-igarchy.” It seems the combination of President Donald Trump’s recent 80th birthday, the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, and the currently unknown…