Voters Say They Want Younger Politicians. So Why Do They Keep Voting for Old Ones?

The Slatest Debates about age may really be more about a candidate’s health. Sept 02, 20265:28 PM Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images and Samuel Corum/Getty Images This story is adapted from the Slatest newsletter. You can sign up here to get it in your inbox every day. Here’s a paradox for you: In overwhelming numbers, voters keep telling pollsters that they want upper age limits and term limits for members of Congress. At the same time, they keep voting to reelect long-serving lawmakers who are in their 70s and 80s. Massachusetts offers the latest evidence. Older incumbents of all ideological stripes swept the state’s Democratic primaries last night. In the race for U.S. Senate, two-term Sen. Ed Markey, an 80-year-old progressive, easily dispatched